«　WEEK 4　DAY 1　»

　　Heb. 12:1 …Let us also, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, put away every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and run with endurance the race which is set before us.

　　Exo. 13:21 And Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them on the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might go by day and by night.

　　The cloud is for leading people in following the Lord (Num. 9:15-22), and the Lord is in the cloud to be with the people (Exo. 13:21-22). The children of Israel followed the Lord by the pillar and enjoyed the Lord’s presence in the pillar of cloud. All the witnesses of faith, even the martyrs of faith, are a cloud. By this cloud of witnesses [Heb. 12:1] we follow the Lord and enjoy His presence. (Life-study of Hebrews, p. 550)

　　The saints of the old covenant were only witnesses of faith. None of them was the author, source, perfecter, or finisher of faith. In Hebrews 12:1 the witnesses of faith are considered as “a cloud of witnesses surrounding us.” The Lord was in the cloud to be with His people (Exo. 13:21-22). The children of Israel followed the Lord according to the move of the cloud. Where the cloud was, there the Lord was also. Furthermore, the cloud is for leading people in following the Lord. If you have a heart to seek out the Lord…, you may immediately have the sense that by the people of faith you can have the Lord’s presence and His leading. If you have the cloud, you will have the Lord. But if you miss the cloud, you will also miss the Lord. All the people of faith, the church people, are the cloud. The best way to seek the Lord’s presence is to come to the church. If anyone is seeking the Lord’s leading, he must follow the cloud, the church. The Lord is in the cloud, meaning that He is with the people of faith. Since we are the people of faith, we are today’s cloud, and people can follow the Lord by following us. Those who seek Him can find His presence with us. The Lord is where we are, and where we are is the direction in which the Lord is moving in these days. (Life-study of Hebrews, p. 551)

　　The “witnesses” mentioned in Hebrews 12:1… apparently… refer… to those who have great faith as mentioned in chapter 11. Actually, it does not refer to the people themselves but to the things they did… The witnesses of the things done by those people are like a great cloud surrounding us.

　　These many witnesses… witness to God’s “great salvation” (2:3-4)… [which] is not only the forgiveness of sins but obtaining the kingdom. The kingdom is the goal of our race. God gave us so many witnesses for the purpose of encouraging us to live a life of faith so that we can run the race and receive the glory of the kingdom. Although the great men of faith in chapter 11 did not have the kingdom directly as their object of faith, their faith was nevertheless their race… Apparently, they obtained what they believed in; some were raptured, some obtained the land, some were resurrected, and some were saved from perishing. But these things are not God’s ultimate promise to them. What they had obtained through faith was only their earnest [or pledge], proving that they would obtain the promised kingdom of God. “And these all, having obtained a good testimony through their faith, did not obtain the promise, because God has provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect” (11:39-40)… This [is] talking about… the kingdom… [and] God’s assurance to them that they would obtain the kingdom in the future.

　　“So great a cloud of witnesses” is the grace given by God through the faith of many people. God answered their prayers and worked miracles; He proved that their running of the race was well pleasing to Him and that they would possess the kingdom. Since we have all these witnesses, we should run the race of faith. (CWWN, vol. 17, pp. 230-231)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Hebrews, msg. 48; CWWN, vol. 17, pp. 229-240