11:3
It is amazing how relevant this statement is. How do we know the world was made at God’s command? Because He has told us so and we believe Him. The universe exists because commanded it to be so. “What was seen was not made out of what was visible”. This is completely at odds with the materialistic world view, which seeks to explain everything in terms of what is seen. Note that it says “we understand”. It is not just about knowing a fact, rather it adds to our understanding of how the world is. Proverbs tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The atheistic worldview is founded upon a lie, and so will inevitably lead to contradictions and nonsense. The theistic worldview is built upon a foundation of truth.
11:4
After the “generalities” about faith, we come to the list of examples from the Old Testament. It is all by faith from beginning to end. The first example is Abel. See that the writer gives more value to the lives of people in the Old Testament than we perhaps do. We recognise the importance of people like Abraham and Moses, but then there are others, like Abel, who we perhaps consider to be little more than a footnote in the Bible. The writer to the Hebrews sees them as of significance. Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain. He offered the first fruits. Faith shows itself in actions. If we really believe that God is God, that He is our provider, then we will give our firstfruits to Him. Moreover, God spoke well of his offering. What we do matters to God, and is appreciated by Him.
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