Active faith

The writer of Hebrews (my guess is Apollos) exhorts his readers to "hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." He then shows what that looks like in Hebrews 11, a Technicolor portrait of some who held fast to the end "by faith." I think its interesting and significant to note the biographical details chosen in this tightly edited Who's Who of Old Testament Saints.

Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice
Enoch was taken up
Noah constructed an ark for the saving of his household
Abraham went out not knowing where he was going, lived in tents, and offered up Isaac
Sarah received power to conceive
Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau
Jacob blessed each of the sons of Joseph
Joseph gave directions concerning his bones
Moses' parents hid him for three months
Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, left Egypt, and kept the Passover
The Israelites crossed the Red Sea, and circled the walls of Jericho
Rahab gave a friendly welcome to the spies
Etc.
In some cases these aren't the incidents I would have chosen to include. For Joseph I would have said something about his interpretation of dreams or his resisting the seductions of Potiphar's wife. But no, the writer gives us this detail about the bones because it shows most clearly that Joseph was looking forward in active faith to an event four centuries in the future -- the Exodus from Egypt. As New Testament saints we set our sights toward another Exodus, one that could happen in a hundred years or tomorrow. When we inherit the city with foundations, "whose designer and builder is God." Hebrews is sprinkled with reminders not to become too comfortable here.

I wonder what might be said about my active faith? By faith Stephen did x. I'd like it to be something similar to what's said of Noah in verse 7. By faith Stephen "being warned by God concerning events events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household...and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." This ark being Christ, the ultimate object of Noah's faith and ours. Christ -- the "something better" that was promised to the Patriarchs, that they glimpsed from afar. Jesus made this plain to the skeptics that followed him around. "Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad." (John 8:56)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith...