Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
Hebrews 11:36-38 NIV
“The world was not worthy of them.” This is an interesting comment about people mistreated by the world and considered to be of little value. But, in contrast to the world’s perception, it was the world that did not deserve to have these people living among them. But who are these people the world does not deserve?
Hebrews describes them as people who lived by faith. Who considered themselves strangers and foreigners in this world (Heb. 11:13). And who were looking forward to a heavenly city founded by God (Heb. 11:9-10, 14-16).
These men and women serve as examples to us today (Heb. 12:1). To live,…
