FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR Hebrews 11.1

Proverbs 2:7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

I would like to draw the reader’s attention to the words ‘sound wisdom’. In this text, the Hebrew does not use the usual word h’ah’ama’ as it did in the previous verse; it uses: ‘tooshyah” and implies tangible substance.

The ‘wisdom’ implied in this verse is not mental, intellectual nor theological; these things have already been promised in the verses before. What is implied here is a wisdom that provides substance for safety and protection; that is why this ‘sound wisdom’ (emphasis on ‘sound’) becomes a ‘buckler’ to those who walk with God.

The faith of our ancients in Old Testament times was not a faith where everything was spiritualized to the point that whether you saw it or not, your prayers were answered, because they were answered ‘in the spirit’. It was the Greek influence on the Church that brought this concept of over-spiritualizing religion. The faith of the ancient Hebrews was one of tangible substance; power and prophecy had to be proven by the senses. Paul even referred to this principle when he said: And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should stand in the wisdom of man but in the power of God.1 Corinthians 2:4,5.

I feel that one of the reasons we spiritualize what is meant to be substantial is to excuse our lack of faith. We cannot see the tangible fruits of our prayers so we spiritualize them; and we certainly don’t want to ask why because we are afraid of the answers. For example, if God substantially protects the righteous, why are the Christians in Darfour getting slaughtered without help?

We need to return to the simple faith God gave us. We need to go back to the belief that God will do it because He said so; to a faith that is so simple even a child can understand it, see it and profess it. As Paul also said, Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Colossians 2:8