“But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back, I have no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:38 HCSB).
The penultimate verse of Hebrews chapter ten contains an inspirational truth that has been adapted and repurposed in many different forms. That dynamic truth involves the honorable characteristic of perseverance in the midst of a difficult situation.
One of the better-known adaptations of this idea appeared in a portion of a speech given by Theodore Roosevelt, the 25th President of the United States…
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” (1)
Politicians, military figures, athletes, and others have similarly adopted the noble character of this ideal for various purposes throughout the course of human history. Nevertheless, a discerning individual might ask, “Why? Why should I exhibit the qualities of perseverance, endurance, or diligence in the midst of a difficult situation when it is often safer or easier to simply give up or give in?”
God Himself provides us with the answer to that question here in Hebrews 10:38: “…I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back” (NIV). While there may be many reasons to persevere when we find ourselves in a challenging situation, we do so primarily because faithful endurance is a characteristic that pleases God. Since is impossible to please God without faith (as we’ll discover in the following chapter of Hebrews), the alternative involves “shrinking back,” an act that brings God no pleasure.
Much like a sailor who confidently turns a seafaring vessel towards an oncoming wave, we can exhibit the kind of faith that is pleasing to God when we place our trust in Him to navigate the challenges and difficulties of life.
(1) Roosevelt, Theodore, “Man In The Arena” from “Citizenship in a Republic” the Sorbonne, Paris, France. 23 April, 1910. See https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/Learn-About-TR/TR-Encyclopedia/Culture-and-Society/Man-in-the-Arena.aspx