Hebrews 11:38

The apostle hath not yet finished his account of the sufferings of these worthies; yet he thought meet to interpose a character of their persons. For men in this course of life might be looked on, and were so by some, as the “offscouring of all things,” and unmeet either for human converse or any of the good things of this world, but rather to be esteemed as the beasts of the field. These thoughts the apostle obviates in another kind of testimony concerning them, and so proceeds unto the end of his account concerning their sufferings:

Hebrews 11:38. ῟Ων οὐκ η῏ν ἄξιος ὁ κόσμος· ἐν ἐρημίαις πλανώμενοι, καὶ ὄρεσι, καὶ σπηλαίοις, καὶ ταῖς ὀπαῖς τῆς γῆς.

Hebrews 11:38. Of whom the world was not worthy: they wandered in deserts, and [in] mountains, and [in] dens and eaves of the earth. There are two things in these words:

1. The character which the apostle gives of these sufferers; “The world was not worthy of them.”

2. The remainder of their sufferings which he would represent; “They wandered in deserts,” etc.

1. Their character is, that “the world was not worthy of them.” By “the world,” not the fabric of heaven and earth is intended. For in that sense God hath appointed this world for the habitation of his people; it is therefore meet for them and worthy of them, whilst their mortal life is continued. And therefore our blessed Savior affirms, that he did not pray that God would take them out of this world, but only that he would keep them from the evil that is in it, John 17:15. Nor by “the world” is merely intended mankind living in the world. For under that consideration they are meet for society, and may have good done unto them by the people of God, Micah 5:7. But by “the world” is understood the inhabitants of it, in their interests, designs, ends, and actings, their successes in them, and advantages by them, as they are opposite unto the true interest of the church and people of God. In this sense, “the world” hath a high opinion of itself, as possessed of all that is desirable, despising and hating them who are not in conjunction with it in these things: the world in its power, pride, pomp, enjoyments, and the like.

Of this world it is said, that it was “not worthy” of those sufferers. It was not so in the ages and seasons wherein they lived; nor is so of them who suffer in any other age whatever. The world thinks them not worthy of it, or to live in it, to enjoy any name or place among the men of it. Here is a testimony given to the contrary, that the world is not worthy of them. Nor can any thing be spoken to the greater provocation of it. To tell the great, the mighty, the wealthy, the rulers of the world, that they are not worthy of the society of such as in their days are poor, destitute, despised, wanderers, whom they hurt and persecute, as the “offscouring of all things,” is that which fills them with indignation. There is not an informer or apparitor but would think himself disparaged by it,. But they may esteem of it as they please; we know that this testimony is true, and the world one day shall confess it so to be. And we must see in what sense it is here affirmed.

Chrysostom and the Greek expositors after him, suppose that a comparison is here made between the worth of the world and that of suffering believers; and that the apostle affirms that these sufferers, yea, any one of them, is more worth than the whole world. This may be true in some sense; but that truth is not the sense of this place. For the design of the apostle is to obviate an objection, that these persons were justly cast out, as not worthy the society of mankind; which he doth by a contrary assertion, that the world was not worthy of them. And it was not so in two respects:

(1.) It was not worthy of their society, or to have converse with them; no more than slaves are worthy of or meet for the society of princes. For he speaks of the world as it is engaged in persecution; and so it is unworthy of the converse of persecuted saints.

(2.) It is not worthy of those mercies and blessings which do accompany the presence of this sort of persons, where they have a quiet habitation. And,

Obs. 1. Let the world think as well, as highly, as proudly of itself as it pleaseth, it is, when it persecutes, base and unworthy of the society of true believers, and of the mercies wherewith it is accompanied. And,

Obs. 2. God's esteem of his people is never the less for their outward sufferings and calamities, whatever the world judgeth of them. They cannot think otherwise of them in their sufferings than they thought of Christ in his. They did “esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted,” Isaiah 53:4; as one rejected of God and man. Such is their judgment of all his suffering followers; nor will they entertain any other thought of them. But God is of another mind.

2. Having given this character of these poor sufferers, he proceeds to issue his account of their sufferings, and that in a further description of that wandering course of life which he had before ascribed unto them. And first he asserts again, that they “wandered,” and then gives an account of the places wherein they wandered, and. where they disposed of themselves in their wanderings.

That which he had before expressed by περιῆλθον, they “went up and down,” he ere doth by πλανώμενοι; that is, directly, they had an “erratical motion,” wandered without any certain rule or end, as unto any place of rest. I showed before how they were driven from cities, boroughs, towns corporate, and villages also, partly by law, partly by force. What now remains for them to betake themselves unto but deserts, solitary and uninhabited places. But whereas the continuance of human life is not capable of perpetual actual wandering up and down, but must have some place of rest and composure, the apostle distributes the places of their wandering state under two heads, suited unto these two acts of motion and rest. Of the first sort were “deserts and mountains,” uninhabited wastes; and of the latter, were the “dens and caves” that were in them. By deserts and uninhabited mountains, all know what is intended; and they did abound in those parts of the earth wherein these things were acted. There is no need of any exact distinction of dens and caves, neither will the signification of the words afford it; though possibly one may signify greater, the other lesser subterraneous receptacles: but the common use of the first word seems to denote such hollow places under the ground as wild beasts have sheltered themselves in from the pursuit of men.

This was the state of these servants of the living God: when they were driven from all inhabited places, they found no rest in deserts and mountains but wandered up and down, taking up dens and caves for their shelter. And instances of the same kind have been multiplied in the pagan and antichristian persecutions of the churches of the new testament.

That no color is hence given unto a hermitical life by voluntary choice, much less unto the horrible abuse of its first invention in the Papacy, is openly evident. And we may learn, that,

Obs. 3. Ofttimes it is better, and more safe for the saints of God, to be in the wilderness among the beasts of the field, than in a savage world, inflamed by the devil into rage and persecution.

Obs. 4. Though the world may prevail to drive the church into the wilderness, to the ruin of all public profession in their own apprehension, yet it shall be there preserved unto the appointed season of its deliverance; the world shall never have the victory over it.

Obs. 5. It becomes us to be filled with thoughts of and affections unto spiritual things, to labor for an anticipation of glory, that we faint not in the consideration of the evils that may befall us on the account of the gospel.