Of Whom the World Was Not Worthy
by Terry Wane Benton
Daily Points of Light from Heaven
The Hebrew writer makes a great point when he speaks of the long list of persecuted and rejected servants of God who “escaped the edge of the sword…became valiant in battle… others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned…afflicted, tormented” and then adds “of whom the world was not worthy” (Hebrews 11:34-38). Think about this! Sometimes there are situations where that town, city, or work-group was not worthy of having such a class person of faith. They did not know how to properly appreciate what they had in that person of faith. They could have helped save that group and shared an enriching faith with them, but they did not want it.
The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah did not treat righteous Lot like they should have. He could have helped them get right with God, but they rejected him and chose to frame his words as “always judging us.” God’s word does the judging. Lot was only an informant. He was trying to help them, but they were not worthy of him. They chose to accuse him of always judging them when choosing to appreciate him speaking truth in love would have produced more favorable outcomes for them. They burned in fire and brimstone, and it never should have happened, had they acted more worthy of having a righteous man in their presence.
You could say that Paul stating that he was in “perils among false brethren” was another case of those brethren not being worthy of such a brother as Paul. Paul faced several specific complaints and accusations from some of the Corinthian brethren, and he addresses them directly in I and II Corinthians.
They accused Paul of being unimpressive in person and weak in speech. “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account” (II Corinthians 10:10). They complained that Paul looked unimpressive and didn’t speak with the polished rhetoric they desired to hear from orators. They did not realize that they were not worthy of such a faithful man in their presence who preached the truth.
They accused him of lacking apostolic credentials or authority. Paul defends his apostleship:
"Am I not an apostle? … Are you not my workmanship in the Lord?”(I Corinthians 9:1–3).
“I ought to have been commended by you, for I was not at all inferior to these chief-apostles” (II Corinthians 12:11).
Some questioned whether he was truly an apostle compared to others they viewed as more impressive. They did not realize that they were not worthy of such a man in their midst.
They accused him of being fickle or unreliable in his travel plans. They complained that Paul changed his plans and therefore could not be trusted (II Corinthians 1:15–17). Paul explains that his change of plans was for their benefit, not because he is unstable. They were looking for things to complain about.
They accused him of not accepting financial support because he knew he wasn’t worthy of support. Paul explains why he refused their money, though they interpreted it as a slight (II Corinthians 11:7–9). Again, they were looking to pick him to pieces for anything they could imagine as true. They complained that Paul treated them differently by refusing support (II Corinthians 12:13–15). Paul clarifies that he refused support to avoid burdening them, not because of lack of affection.
They accused him of being bold only in letters but timid face‑to‑face. They said he was “bold” in writing but “lowly” in person (II Corinthians 10:1–2). Paul responds that he will be bold in person if necessary.
Why was all of this necessary? He said earlier that these brethren were spiritually immature and carnal (I Corinthians 3:1f). Paul was a man of faith who longed to be a blessing to these brethren, but some would not break out of their pattern of spiritual immaturity and see him in the proper light. They were not acting worthy of such a man.
Are there people around us that we are not worthy of? Are we of such a faithful character that the carnal world around us is not worthy of? How does God see it? He sees the truth. In Hebrews 11, there is a long list of men and women of faith “of whom the world was not worthy.” Would we fit in that list?
