So who are the “cloud of witnesses,” and how is it they “surround” us? To understand this, we need to look at the previous chapter, as evidenced by the word therefore beginning chapter 12. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the rest of the Old Testament believers looked forward with faith to the coming of the Messiah. The author of Hebrews illustrates this eloquently in chapter 11 and then ends the chapter by telling us that the forefathers had faith to guide and direct them, but God had something better planned. Then he begins chapter 12 with a reference to these faithful men and women who paved the way for us. What the Old Testament believers looked forward to in faith—the Messiah—we look back to, having seen the fulfillment of all the prophecies concerning His first coming.
We are surrounded by the saints of the past in a unique way. It’s not that the faithful who have gone before us are spectators to the race we run. Rather, it is a figurative representation and means that we ought to act as if they were in sight and cheering us on to the same victory in the life of faith that they obtained. We are to be inspired by the godly examples these saints set during their lives. These are those whose past lives of faith encourage others to live that way, too. That the cloud is referred to as “great” indicates that millions of believers have gone before us, each bearing witness to the life of faith we now live.
The race we run is our life. We would do well to run that race with our focus on Jesus. In order to complete any race, we need to have a goal or finish line in sight and we need to pay attention to the terrain we run on so we don't fall. Also, just like a runner would take off all clothing that would weigh them down hampering their ability to complete the race, we too should remove anything that weighs us down in our race. We should especially remove sin from our life as it weighs us down and hampers our efforts to complete the race well. We can find strength and endurance by continually looking to Jesus who ran His race with perfection. He is the champion that we should emulate in the running of our race and living our life.
Jesus also had a goal to set His sights on. He ran His race looking forward to being seated next to God for all eternity. He did not let the obstacles and distress He suffered stop Him from running and completing His race. He endured the cross, humiliation and evil that was directed at Him. We are told to consider all that He went through and to use that as encouragement for us to endure all that makes our life difficult, so that we too can finish our race.
We regularly see movies and hear stories of people who overcame great odds, overcame physical or mental issues to do great things. The stories of these people encourage us and excite us. The story of Jesus is just such a story. He overcame great odds, He overcame all that Satan could throw at Him and stands victorious. That is the most incredible story of determination and victory ever. His story is one that should give us the hope and encouragement that we can overcome the obstacles in our path to one day stand victorious with Him - because of Him.
The hardships we endure are referred to in Proverbs 3:11-12 as discipline. Just as we parents discipline our children out of love and a desire for them to live a good life with a good ending, so too are we disciplined by our Heavenly Father. Yet those who aren't loved receive no discipline or guidance and often the lives they live are so much less than what they could be. So do not lose heart but see those tough times as things that push us forward, keep us focused on the finish line, give us determination, and help us to endure all the way to the finish line. See those times of discipline, as training to become a well conditioned follower of Christ. Discipline is hard and often painful but just as an athlete endures the pain and sacrifice of diligent training to reach his or her goal, so can we. Know too that if we keep pushing forward, especially in tough times, we can help those in the race who are weaker by giving them ourselves as an example of endurance just as Christ is that example to us.
We are encouraged to live a life in peace with everyone. We are encouraged to work hard to live a holy life. By doing so we will see the Lord. Sin cannot stand in God's presence so we must be holy. We must pursue holiness and must pursue Christ so that holiness will be accomplished in our lives. We are charged to look after each other so that none of us misses the grace of God.
Missing the grace of God would cause one to become bitter toward God and that person's attitude toward God would have the possibility of infecting all of those around them. A person such as that would be godless, profane, and unholy. We are given Esau as an example. His unholy life led him to sell the inheritance promised to him by his father for the pleasure of a single meal. Therefore, we can learn from that and not trade our heavenly inheritance for the small pleasures of this world. Esau later mourned over his bad choice and we too would greatly regret making such a foolish trade.
The Old Testament followers came to Mt. Sinai where they heard the power of God's voice. It was so powerful that they begged Him to stop speaking. That encounter caused them to wake up from the life they were living and turn back to live under God's command.
We have not gone to that place or experienced such an encounter. We, New Covenant believers come to the heavenly place. The city where there are heavenly beings and angels. There is also a community made up of those called the firstborn. They may be those who have already won their firstborn rights. In the Old Testament law, the first born was the primary heir under the father and all who were first born have already gone to the heavenly city.
God is the judge of all men and we can come to that place where those who have already gone have withstood God's searching of them and been made righteous by the blood of Christ who mediates on our behalf. His blood pleads for our forgiveness and successfully brings us to HIm for all time.
Do not refuse to listen to God, for you will not see a different result than Israel did when they refused to listen to Moses. We again see reference to God's voice shaking the earth at Mt. Sinai and are told He will shake much in the coming time. He will shake not only the earth but the heavens this time. Verse 27 ; "This means all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain." Notice how "all of creation" will be shaken and removed. What is "all of creation," think about that. Is it not the sun, moon, stars and heavens, all the planets and everything on them? This refers to the remaking of the heavens and the earth, the new kingdom and the eternal kingdom will be all that remains after the removal of creation.
We are looking forward to and are receiving the eternal kingdom, the kingdom that will last for all eternity. Let us be thankful for the grace that allows us to be part of that new place, the eternal place. Because of who He is and what He has done, let us please Him with our sincere worship of Him. Our God is a powerful God, one that created all things and took away all things. Knowing these truths, we can do no less than worship Him with awe, respect, and reverence.