The book of Hebrews emphasizes faith in the Old Testament and clearly describes the nature of the blessings God has promised and which believers expect in faith. The Hebrews were Christians who came out of Judaism through faith in Jesus Christ. Their identification with Jesus Christ caused them to be humiliated by Christ and opposed and persecuted by unbelieving Jews. Things are getting worse and are about to get worse. Some have toyed with the idea of ​​returning to Judaism to escape persecution. The temporary “blessings” of Judaism are appealing because they are faced with as Christians. The anonymous author of this letter reminds these Christians of their Old Testament roots. He showed them the real blessings that are in Christ.
The complete and final fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham has yet to come. It was the blessing that Abraham and all the other Old Testament saints had longed for. They understand that the blessings God has promised are not physical but spiritual, and that they are not temporary but eternal. They know that these blessings will not come in life, but after death and resurrection:

All these people died in faith, not receiving the promises, but having seen them and received them from afar, and confessed that they were strangers and exiles on earth. For those who say such things, it is clear that they are looking for a country of their own. And really if they think about the country they came from, they have a chance to go back there. But as such, they desire a better country, that is, heaven. This is why God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them (Hebrews 11:13-16).
Unlike many Israelites in the Old Testament and most Jews in Jesus’ day, Abraham was looking for a better blessing. He was looking for a city in heaven, a city that God would prepare. I believe this is the residence our Jesus spoke of shortly before his death:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled; Believe in God, just as you believe in Me. In My Father’s house there are many mansions; if that wasn’t the case, I would have told you already; for I am going to prepare a place for you. If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come back to take you in with Me; so that where I am, there you also may be” (John 14:1-3). It is this New Jerusalem that comes down from heaven when our Lord returns (Revelation 21:1-2). It is a blessing that comes from faith in Jesus Christ and not from human effort or achievement.

Unfortunately, many Christians today make the same basic mistakes as the Jews of Jesus’ day. They think of God’s blessings mainly in material and material terms.102 They believe that since Christ has come, every promised blessing can be ours now, if we just believe and ask them in faith. Like Job’s friends, they equated present suffering with sin, and they considered it a curse. They should think more about the blessings of God as defined in the scriptures. In particular, they should think carefully about this passage in Hebrew:

And what more can we say? For I will not have time to speak of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David and Samuel, and the prophets who by faith conquered kings nation, perform righteous deeds, receive promises, silence lions, quench the power of fire, escape from the sword, from weak to strong, become mighty in war, strike expel foreign troops. Women restored their dead through resurrection; and others are tortured, refusing to be released, for a better revival; and others were mocked and beaten, yes, both chained and imprisoned. They were stoned, sawed in half, tempted, slain with the sword; they wear sheepskins, goatskins, poverty, suffering, abuse (whom the world doesn’t deserve), wandering through deserts, mountains, caves and pits in the earth. And all these people, accepted by their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God provided something better for us, that without us, they will not be perfected (Hebrews 11:32-40).

Our text only talks about the Old Testament saints. “Everybody,” as the author tells us in verse 39, “was accepted by faith.” As he also reminds us, “all did not receive what was promised” (verse 39, see also Hebrews 11:13). All those mentioned are those who have God’s approval through faith in God’s promises. None of them received the promised blessing. The reason, we were told, was that God wanted them to be blessed with us at the same time.

The point I want to emphasize here is that the two types of saints are very different. The difference between the two is not that one group has faith while the other does not. It is not that one group is more spiritual than the other. The difference is that one group seems to succeed on the basis of beliefs while the other group suffers on the basis of beliefs. The first group—those who succeed by faith—is described in verses 32-35a. By faith, these saints conquered kingdoms, performed righteous deeds, achieved promises,103 silenced lions, raised the dead, and so on. How did these saints do so well? They were blessed by God, by faith.
The second group – those who suffer and endure by faith – are described in the second half of verses 35-38. These saints also have faith, but their faith leads to perseverance rather than success or prosperity. Today they themselves will be rebuked for their lack of faith.