35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned[f]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. (Hebrew 11)
Paul describes the people of faith, their history, their hardships, and their triumph. Through faith, these men sought after something that wasn't readily apparent at the time, and they acquired something far better than they could ever imagine: a promise. Further in the chapter, Paul speaks about the women and men of faith who were being persecuted at this time for their faith in Jesus Christ.
He describes the torture they willingly suffered and endured from those in opposition to their faith. He talks about them being ridiculed, flogged, incarcerated, and rejected. They were walking in the footsteps of Jesus, and just like He had been wrongly punished, likewise they were experiencing the same. However, their faith allowed them to forge ahead and not give up.
"The world was not worthy of them." I especially like this verse. The world was hurling the worst at them, but it was not because they were worthless, but rather because they were too worthy. In our lives, when we stand up in faith for what we may believe, it may feel like we're pathetic and without merit, but in reality, we experience persecution or opposition because our worth is honored only in the economy of heaven.
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