Wednesday, June 11, 2008, Part 1

"Women received back their dead raised to life again" (Hebrews 11:35a).

IDEA: Faith can sometimes be exercised on behalf of others and it can be exercised along with the faith of others.

PURPOSE: To help listeners see that faith is not necessarily something an individual alone exercises.

Does the writer of the letter to the Hebrews include many women in the list in the chapter 11 Honor Roll of the Faithful?

Do you find it a bit strange when the writer states in verse 35 that "women received back their dead raised to life again"?

I. Why does the writer emphasize women receiving back their dead raised to life again?

What women is the writer talking about whose stories are recorded in the Old Testament?

One of those stories is about the widow in Zaraphath, 1 Kings 17:17-24. The prophet Elijah prayed to God to restore her dead son to life.

Another woman is the Shunemite in Israel, 2 Kings 4. She had strong faith and implored Elisha to raise her son to life again. 

What are some contrasts between these two stories?

One woman was an outsider in Sidon, the other an Israelite.

One woman was a widow, the other a married woman.

One woman was destitute, and the other a person of means. 

One woman was a person of little faith, the other a person of great faith.

What is the similarity between these two stories?

Both lost a son on whom they would be dependent in old age.

II. Even though the stories differ greatly, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews states that "through faith women received their dead raised to life again." Whose faith is it?

In the first story it is Elijah's faith.

In the second story it is the faith of both the woman and Elisha.

III. Is there any connection to the way people exercise faith on behalf of others today?