Hebrews 11 gives us a summary of the faith of men and women in the Bible. Hebrews 11:1-2 begins by saying “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.” These were not perfect people by any means, but they were men who trusted in the Lord and were shown to be faithful.
We see men like Abel, who gave God first fruits and Enoch who walked with God. Noah remained steadfast and continued to obey God even when ridiculed by the world. Abraham journeyed to an unknown land out of obedience to God, and his wife Sarah believed God would fulfill his promise to her. Joseph trusted God even when he didn’t know what his life would become and knew that when he died, God would deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses chose a life of hardship instead of riches. Faith is what caused the people to venture through the Red Sea to escape Pharoah. Faith brought the walls of Jericho down after the Israelites obediently marched around them. Rahab, a prostitute, was spared from disaster when she secretly helped the Israelites.
All of these people showed great faith because they looked forward to the rewards of God instead of the temporary rewards of man. This is faith. It is the reality of everything we hope for in God and the evidence of what we cannot see in this life.