A STUDY OF HEBREWS CHAPTER 11

Mark E. Hardgrove, D.Min.

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Scriptures are taken from the various versions as noted in the text of this book.

Scriptures quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International
Version ®. NIV ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used
by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scriptures marked (KJV) are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are from the New King James Version. Copyright
© 1979, 1980, 1982, 1990, 1995, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers.

Scriptures quotations marked (NLT) are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.
Copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton,
Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

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 DEDICATION

To my wife, Sun, --who believes in me. You are my biggest fan, my closest
friend and my most honest critic.

To my children, Timothy, Candace and Destin, who have taught me more about
patience and persistence than I could ever have known without you. Thanks.

To my mother and grandmother whose prayers have protected me and lifted me

up when I was down.

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 WALKING THROUGH THE HALL OF FAITH:
A STUDY OF HEBREWS CHAPTER ELEVEN

Table of Contents
Foreword vi
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction viii-ix

Chapter Verse(s) Title Pages

One 1-3 What Faith Is, and What Faith Sees 1-9

Two 4 Abel: Sacrificial Faith 10-22

Three 5-6 Enoch: God Pleasing Faith 23-30

Four 7 Noah: Moving by Faith 31-38

Five 8 - 10 Abraham: Faith to Follow Where God Leads 39-47

Six 11 - 12 Sara: Faith That Delivers 48-57

Seven 13 - 16 Abraham: Faith Finding a Better Country 58-64

Eight 17 - 19 Abraham: When Faith Is Tested 65-73

Nine 20 Isaac: Faith Blessing the Future 74-79

Ten 21 Jacob: Faith in the Face of Death 80-87

Eleven 22 Joseph: Faith Planning for the Future 88-94

Twelve 23 Moses’ Parents: Faith Finds a Way 95-101

Thirteen 24 - 26 Moses: Faith Chooses the Right Way 102-

110

Fourteen 27 Moses: Faith Forsakes the Wrong Way 111-

119

Fifteen 28 Moses: Passover Faith 120-

129

Sixteen 29 Moses: Faith Between the Devil and the Deep Sea 130-
139

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Seventeen 30 Israel: Faith That Sees Walls Fall 140-
149

Eighteen 31 Rahab: Deliverance Faith 150-

160

Nineteen 32a - 34 Gideon: Faith to Believe the Lord's Report 161-

171

Twenty 32b - 34 Barak: Faith to Follow 172-

182

Twenty-one 32c - 34 Samson: Faith on the Rebound 183-

192

Twenty-two 32d - 34 Jephthah: Faith the Overcomes Our Past 193-

201

Twenty-three 32e - 34 David: Faith to Fight a Giant 202-

210

Twenty-four 32f - 34 Samuel: Faith to Hear and Fear God 211-

220

Twenty-five 32g - 34 The Prophets: Faith to Prevail 221-

234

Twenty-six 35a Women: Faith to Receive Dead Back to Life 235-

246

Twenty-seven 35b - 38 And Others: Faith to Endure 247-

259

Twenty-eight 39 - 40 Us: Faith and Something Better 260-

267

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 FOREWORD

God has revealed Himself through Jesus Christ, who is God manifested in the

flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). God’s revelation is, therefore, near even “the word of faith,

which we preach” (Romans 10:8). Through humble faith in Jesus Christ, “the same

yesterday, today and forever,” we are saved (Hebrews 10:39). But that is only the

beginning. The redeemed must go on living by faith.

The word “faith” appears in the Epistle of Hebrews more than in any other New

Testament book—twenty-four times in chapter 11 alone, underscoring that faith is crucial

to the lives of God’s people. In his book on Hebrews 11, Walking Through the Hall of

Faith, Pastor Mark Hardgrove shows the dynamic power of faith at work in the lives of

Old Testament believers and the relevance of their experiences to believers today. His

exposition of this great chapter is thoughtful and practical and is intended to serve the

needs of pastors, Sunday school teachers and leaders of small group Bible studies.

True to his calling Mark Hardgrove writes from a pastoral perspective, dealing

with issues that the church faces and that test the faith of believers. Pastors who use this

book will find it to be a good resource for sermon preparation. Teachers of the Bible in

the local church and their students will find it a handy guide to the study of Hebrews 11

and will be challenged and encouraged in their faith.

French L. Arrington, Ph.D.

Author and former Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis
at the Church of God Theological Seminary

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 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to express my sincere gratitude to the following people for the influence
and inspiration they have given me in the writing of this book.

Sun, my faithful wife, thank you for your encouragement and for giving me the
time and space to write.

Timothy, Candace and Destin, my children, thank you for loving me.

Christine, my mother, thank you for helping me to believe in myself and instilling
in me a healthy self-esteem.

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 INTRODUCTION

I was only a sixth grader from a rural West Virginia grade school, but walking

down the hall of the Doddridge County High School gymnasium I was in awe as I looked

at the pictures and read the names and feats of our county’s greatest athletes. One was an

all-state football player, another was an all-state track star, yet another was an all-state

basketball player. This was our equivalent of a hall of fame, and I purposed in my heart

to someday earn the right to have my picture placed alongside the others.

My goal was to be the first athlete to get my picture in the hall of fame twice. I

also planned to be voted "most athletic" of my senior class and to earn the “Alvin Bell

Award for Outstanding Senior Athlete.” This was the motivating power which these

sports heroes (some now dead) had on me. As it turned out I did not get my picture up

twice but I did get it up once as the state runner-up in wrestling; I also achieved the other

two of my lofty goals. Had I not been challenged and inspired by the athletes who had

gone before me I might never have even set these goals nor had the persistence to press

on and possess them.

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 ∗
The Writer of the book of Hebrews understood the motivating power of the

heroes of faith. In an effort to inspire some wavering Jewish Christians to continue to

walk by faith and not to go back to Judaism, the Writer lifts up some lofty names and

examples from the Hall of Faith. One by one the "good report" of the elders stands as a

vivid illustration of the importance and power of faith.

Come walk with me through this awesome collection of names and feats of faith.

Let's study each name and the act of faith which brought about such notoriety. As you

study each one let him or her motivate you to achieve greatness in your own faith. As the

Writer says at the end of the tour, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge

crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down,

especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the

race that God has set before us" (Heb. 12:1, NLT).

The reader will notice that throughout this work I have included places for the

reader to pause and reflect upon the text and the commentary. One of the debates of

hermeneutics is whether we interpret the text, or text interprets us. My goal is for you,

the reader, to pause and to reflect upon what the example of each hero of faith says to

and/or about you in your journey. The Psalms do this through the frequent use of the

word, selah. Some scholars believe selah means “to consider.” It is not enough to read

Scripture we must consider the implications for our lives.

My prayer is that you will be encouraged and inspired to become a great man or

woman of faith. I have grown in my faith through this process and I believe you will too.


I will refer to the author of the Book of Hebrews as, “the Writer," throughout this work. Many believe the
Apostle Paul wrote Hebrews (and it may have been), however, the text never identifies the Writer,
therefore, I do not feel it is incumbent upon me to try to do so either.

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 CHAPTER ONE
Verses 1-3
What Faith Is and What Faith Sees

Heb 11:1-3 (KJV)

1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2. For by it the elders obtained a good report.
3. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that
things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Heb 11:1-3 (NLT)

1. {Great Examples of Faith--} What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we
hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.
2. God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith.
3. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that
what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

INTRODUCTION

The word faith occurs only twice, and the word believe only nineteen times, in the

King James Version of the Old Testament, yet the Writer of Hebrews will demonstrate in

chapter 11 that all great men and women of the old covenant were men and women of

faith. He has already made the argument in the preceding chapters that it was not the

blood of bulls and goats but the precious blood of Jesus Christ that should take away sins

(10:4). Furthermore, the Writer goes to great lengths to demonstrate that salvation is not

accomplished by what we do but by what Jesus has done for us. The benefits of the

sacrifice of Jesus are made effective when we are able to receive His work by faith. He

writes in chapter 10:

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 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with
pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is
faithful that promised) (KJV).

Having established that salvation is by faith in the death, burial and resurrection

of Jesus Christ, the Writer proceeds both to define faith and to give examples of faith in

the lives of the "elders" of the old covenant. He starts with the definition and then,

beginning with creation, works forward through history bringing his readers to the

doorstep of the new covenant. He has much to say about this new covenant and will end

this chapter referring to it as "some better thing."

The word covenant occurs thirteen times in the book of Hebrews. The Writer

refers to the "first covenant" (made with Israel), to a "better covenant," a "new covenant,"

and an "everlasting covenant" (made with all believers in Christ). He boldly compares

and contrasts the two covenants throughout the Epistle. The first covenant, he writes,

was based on works of obedience to the Law of Moses (3:2-5), mediated by angels (2:2),

and written on tablets of stone (9:4). The "new covenant," the "better covenant," is

mediated by God Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ (2:3) and is not written in stone

but upon the hearts of believers (8:10). It is a covenant based on faith in Jesus Christ and

all that He came to do (and continues to do) for us and in us:

Heb 8:6 . . . he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon
better promises (KJV).

Heb 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have
been sought for the second (KJV).

Heb 8:8 . . . I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the
house of Judah (KJV).

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 Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day
when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt;
because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith
the Lord (KJV).

Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write
them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a
people (KJV).

Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old (KJV).

Heb 9:1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service,
and a worldly sanctuary (KJV).

Heb 9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid
round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and
Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant (KJV).

Heb 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith
the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I
write them (KJV).

Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought
worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the
blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and
hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? (KJV)

Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of
sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel (KJV).

Heb 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
everlasting covenant (KJV).

REFLECT: What is a modern definition of faith? What is the objective of faith, that is,

what are we trying to gain through faith? How would you rate your faith: strong,

average, or weak? Why do you give your faith this rating? What is the greatest

evidence of your faith in your life?

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WHAT FAITH IS

Having established that the new (or better) covenant is a covenant based on faith

in Christ, the Writer begins at chapter 11 verse 1 with a definition of faith. This is such a

wonderful definition that nothing needs to be added except to take into consideration the

context. When quoted with no regard to what precedes or follows, this definition has

been used to justify many misguided doctrinal positions and unbalanced approaches to

the subject of faith. Furthermore, this definition makes no claim to be an exhaustive

definition. It does not, for example, address faith as a body of belief, such as “the faith

which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3).

The King James Version translates this verse, "Now faith is the substance of

things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

The New Living Translation states it as follows, "What is faith? It is the confident

assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot

yet see."

The location of the definition, coming after an intense defense of the new

covenant, demonstrates that faith is the necessary element for receiving the benefits of the

cross. Some of these benefits remain in the future, they are "hoped for." The return of

Christ for example, is called the "blessed hope" (Titus 2:13). Moreover, the evidence of

some of the things he has previously stated with regard to salvation is not yet seen. The

Writer tells us that Christ, as both sacrifice and High Priest, has gone before the Father to

present Himself as the sacrifice on our behalf (Heb. 7:18-8:6). There He abides forever

as our eternal Mediator. We cannot see these things with natural eyes, but the very faith

by which we believe becomes our evidence that these things are true.

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 The fact that I am able to believe something that is foolish to the natural man is a

witness of the Holy Spirit with my spirit that God’s Word and promises are true. I am

able to believe and know what cannot be known by mere empirical proofs. In addition,

the Spirit of God bears witness with my spirit that I am a child of God (Rom. 8:16).

Faith, then, reaches into the future and brings hope alive in the present. As

believers we live today in a way which reflects our hope in an eternal future with Christ.

We have the hope of His appearing and so we live in purity today (1 Jn. 3:3). We face

death victoriously today because we believe that death is already a defeated foe and will

eventually be destroyed (1 Cor. 15:26).

When the Writer speaks of "the substance of things hoped for" the context

indicates that he is not referring, primarily, to materialistic things. The word hope is

consistently used in the New Testament to refer to a future in Christ, in the resurrection,

and in the full effect of redemptive power in our bodies and on the earth (Rom. 8:16-26).

Only by stripping the definition of Hebrews 11:1 from its context can it be used to

justify the idea that the focus of faith is to acquire health, wealth, position, or power.

Prospering does not come because our faith is so strong; our blessings come from the

strong hand of the Lord in Whom our faith rests. The strength of faith does not reside in

the one who has faith, but strength resides with the One in Whom we believe. There are

some who have great faith in false gods and the result is powerlessness. Yet if we have

faith no larger than a grain of mustard seed, and put that faith in the true God, mountains

can be moved (Matt. 17:20).

REFLECT: How does your faith in Christ affect your life on a daily basis? Would your

life be substantially different today if you did not have faith in Christ? How do you define

“hope”?

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WHAT FAITH SEES

In verse 2 the Writer proceeds to illustrate his definition of faith through the

examples of "people in days of old" (NLT). He says, "For by it (faith) the elders obtained

a good report." Or, as the New Living Translation states, "God gave his approval to

people in days of old because of their faith." These great men and women did not receive

God's approval because of their deeds, but they were able to do what they did because

they trusted Him and moved in faith.

The Writer then takes that which we see (creation) and demonstrates that we can

only understand origins (which we do not see) by faith. This is a reference to the Genesis

account of God's creation of the physical universe with nothing more than the power of

His Word. As the Writer notes, we cannot know this through experience. We were not

there when creation took place, but we put our faith in the revelation of God and we

understand that the entire universe was created by the power of God. Things that we now

see and touch were created ex nihilo, "out of nothing." With the power of His will and

Word, God took nothing and made everything.

Even now we realize that the power of God is so great and so complete that He

can do that which cannot be explained or understood by the natural mind. We call them

miracles and they can only be comprehended by faith.

REFLECT: Do you remember people from your youth whose faith has inspired you?

What was it about them that makes them memorable? How can their examples give

guidance to the church today? Does your church allow time for testimonies? If so, is

there one testimony which you remember as particularly inspiring? Why?

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FAITH FOR TODAY

We supposedly live in a modern and enlightened world which rejects biblical

notions of miracles and faith. (Yet, paradoxically, people are reading horoscopes and
calling psychic hotlines in record numbers.) The age of enlightenment insists that if it
cannot be proven through scientific processes and if it cannot be repeated or proven
wrong, then it cannot be believed. Belief, in the modern sense, has very little to do with
faith as understood in the world of the New Testament writers. The world today says,
"Show us, and then we will believe." Yet, the Apostle Paul tells us that if we physically
possess something, then we no longer hope for it (Rom. 8:24). Similarly, when faith ends
in sight, it is no longer faith, it is promise fulfilled.
The modern explanation for creation is called "evolution." The supposedly
enlightened insist that evolution is an irrefutable fact. In reality, those who reject the
biblical explanation for creation have taken the speculations of a nineteenth century
theologian named Charles Darwin and leaped into the arms of a materialistic god which
has eyes but cannot see, ears but cannot hear and a mouth but cannot speak. Many have
rejected the God of Scripture in favor of an impersonal "First Cause" and evolution is
their faith. Yet, by definition evolution does not qualify either as a hypothesis or a theory
and certainly not as fact. Evolution cannot be proven through repeatable experiments, it
is not falsifiable, and it cannot be observed.
One noted scientist admitted that evolution is, at best, a metaphysical study.
Aristotle noted there are studies of the physical universe, things that we can manipulate,
and then there are things that go beyond the physical, these are meta, or “beyond,”
physical. In essence, the study of evolution is a study of the metaphysical, a study of
things which supercede the natural and are, therefore, supernatural. This isn’t science, it
is a religious system with a god called First Cause, a christ (really a psuedo-christ) named
Darwin, and a bible entitled The Origin of Species.

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 Evolution is faith in creation out of nothing, without a creator. That takes a lot of

faith—misguided faith, and a faith without hope, but faith nonetheless. At least the

Christian is prepared to believe in the existence of a Creator, a personal, living and

eternal Creator, who has condescended to make Himself known to us, the creatures. We

believe that behind the watch there must be a watchmaker even if we've never seen him.

Likewise, we believe that behind creation there must be a Creator even if we have not

seen Him. His work speaks for itself and it tells us there is a God. Furthermore, we have

the record of His visit, His words, His works, His life, death, resurrection and ascension.

The irony of our times is that the irrational is paraded as the only sane and

intelligent model for understanding our existence, while the truth that will set men free is

rejected as ignorant and uninformed. Those who reject faith in God appear to dominate

our educational systems and the modern media. They have climbed into the seats of the

Congress and the bureaucratic agencies that desire to dominate our lives. And yet, the

church marches on, lives are being transformed by the power of the Gospel of Jesus

Christ, and we see the hand of God at work in our world.

Men who are now dead and gone predicted the demise of the Christian church.

The eulogy of the Church has been read in every century since the ascension of Christ,

and yet here we are. Steeples dot our countryside, Bibles line our shelves, people are still

praying, praising, and worshipping a God Whom the intellectual elite says does not exist.

Well if it’s a case of Darwin versus God, the one still standing is the winner. Darwin is

dead, case closed.

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REFLECT: Is there an inherent conflict between science and faith? Have you ever had

your faith challenged in a classroom? How do you answer those who argue that

evolution is a fact? Do you get defensive and/or intimidated? If you have children, how

do you prepare them to respond to the evolutionist’s challenge to the biblical model of

creation?

SUMMARY

Faith does not turn back, does not back down, and does not take a back seat to

deception. The musings and rhetorical jargon of self-proclaimed intellectuals should

never intimidate a believer or cause us to forsake our faith. If we stand tall with both feet

firmly planted in the revelation of God through His Word we will, in time, be vindicated.

Until that day comes, however, we stand liberated while the unbelieving world remains

bound by superstition, tradition and pseudo-intellectualism. They are blind to the truth,

while those who walk in faith are walking with eyes wide open seeing what cannot be

seen, possessing what cannot be possessed and knowing what cannot be known—except

by faith.

Central to the Writer’s definition and examples of faith is the understanding that

faith is not about what we can get out of God, but what we already have in a new and

better covenant through Jesus Christ. He will end this chapter by telling us that the list of

names and examples of faith should motivate us to press ahead toward the goal of faith.

After all, he concludes, God has provided something better for us—who are partakers of

a new and everlasting covenant—than even these great men and women of faith

possessed in the former covenant.

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 CHAPTER TWO
Verse 4
Abel: Sacrificial Faith

Heb 11:4 (KJV)

4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he
obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being
dead yet speaketh.

Heb 11:4 (NLT)

4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did.
God accepted Abel's offering to show that he was a righteous man. And although Abel is
long dead, he still speaks to us because of his faith.

INTRODUCTION

After speaking of creation itself the Writer of Hebrews proceeds to the sacrifice

given by Abel. Prior to the giving of the Law to Moses, sacrifices were given and

accepted when they were given as an act of faith. He calls Abel's sacrifice "more

excellent” than Cain’s but what was it about Abel's sacrifice that made it more

acceptable? Let's go back to Genesis chapter 4 and take a closer look:

1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I
have acquired a man from the LORD."
2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of
sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the
fruit of the ground to the LORD.
4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD
respected Abel and his offering,

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 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and
his countenance fell.
6 So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your
countenance fallen?
7 "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies
at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."
8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were
in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do
not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
10 And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries
out to Me from the ground.
11 "So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive
your brother's blood from your hand.
12 "When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A
fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth" (Gen. 4:1-12, NKJ).

Adam and Eve engaged in normal sexual relations and in doing so were

participating in the plan of God that they should "be fruitful and multiply" (Gen. 1:28).

When Scripture states that a man "knew" a woman it is usually a euphemism meaning

they had sexual relations. As a result of their union Adam and Eve had their first child, a

son whom they named Cain. Recognizing the hand of God at work in the conception

and birth of her child, Eve said, "I have acquired a man from the Lord." It is interesting

that Cain's name means "acquire," while Abel's name means "breath, nothing, or vapor."

We understand why Eve named her firstborn Cain, but why would she name her second

child "vapor"? There is, even in the naming of the child, a hint of the brevity of the life

of Abel.

Perhaps it was the name and comparatively short life of Abel that moved James to

write, "For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then

vanisheth away" (James 4:14, KJV).

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 One day the two brothers came to offer sacrifices to the Lord. We are never told

who instructed them to offer their sacrifices or what the nature of the sacrificial system of

the time was. One might assume that Adam and Eve remembered the death of the

animals whose innocent lives were taken so that their nakedness might be covered. From

this early example the doctrine of atonement was established, but as to the nature of the

sacrifices brought by the sons of Adam we have no background. Both came with

offerings, but only one was accepted.

REFLECT: Names in the Bible are given with specific meaning. Often they seemed to

foreshadow the outcome of their lives. Do you know what your name means? Do you

think your name accurately reflects your life to this point, or would you say there is no

relationship?

THE SACRIFICES OF THE SONS

Each of the brothers came with sacrifices representative of their occupations.

Cain was a gardener, like his father before him, while Abel was a shepherd. Both

occupations are honorable in Scripture. "In the process of time" (perhaps meaning "at the

time of harvest"), Cain brought some of the produce of the field and Abel brought "the

firstborn of his flock and their fat." We are told further that "the Lord respected Abel and

his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering."

Based on other examples from Scripture where God accepted a sacrifice, it may

be that fire consumed Abel's sacrifice and not the sacrifice of Cain. Regardless of the

means by which God's approval was expressed, this turn of events causes one to wonder,

Why did God respect one sacrifice and not the other?

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 There have been several possibilities put forth in response to this question. One

of the more popular explanations is that Abel's was a blood sacrifice, and Cain's was not.

However, there is nothing in the text to indicate that this was a sin offering, and we know

from the Law that grain and even drink offerings were accepted by God. The Writer tells

us that Abel's sacrifice was "more excellent," or "more acceptable." Looking a little more

closely at the text from Genesis there is a hint in the wording as to why one was

acceptable and the other was not.

Notice that Cain "brought an offering of the fruit of the ground." The New

International Version states, “Cain brought some of the fruit of the soil . . .” In the giving

of grain offerings and tithes of the harvest, the sacrifice was to be the "firstfruits" that is,

the initial fruit of the harvest, as well as the best, given as an indication of what could be

expected to follow. (See, Ex. 23:16-19; 34:22-26; Lev. 2:14; 23:10-17; Num. 18:12-26).

Abel, on the other hand, "brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat."

Abel brought choice specimens, the best of the flock. There seems to be a distinction in

their attitudes as they brought their sacrifices. Cain's sacrifice appears to be carried out

like a duty to get over with, while Abel came bringing the best and offering it to the Lord

by faith. (These two men reflect the two ways people come to worship.)

Sacrifices given at harvest time were really acts of faith. When the firstborn or

the firstfruits were given, they were given in anticipation of what would follow. Before

all the fields had been harvested, or before all the flocks or cattle had matured, the best

was carefully chosen and given. This was done because God deserves our best and

because it was believed that in offering the best, God would bless the giver of the gifts

with an entire field of grain every bit as good and as plentiful as that which was offered.

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Similarly, when the best of the flock was given, the shepherd believed the rest of the

flock would be healthy and fertile.

In fact, the Writer tells us why Abel's sacrifice was more excellent; it was because

Abel offered "by faith." You can give your best when you believe that God will bless the

rest. But when your faith wavers and you're not sure that God will bless the rest, then

you are tempted to hold back the best for yourself.

REFLECT: What is your occupation? How can you give the firstfruits from your labors?

How do you know that God has accepted your sacrifice? Have you ever given in tithes

and offering when you didn’t know where you would get the money to pay a bill? Did

you pay the bill?

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR US

Even as new covenant believers we talk about making sacrifices to and/or for

God. The sin sacrifice was given once and for all by Christ Jesus, this is a point that the

Writer goes to great lengths to prove. However, we are still to give ourselves—our

talents, our tithes and our time—to God as an act of worship. We can only give two

ways, we can give "by faith," or we can be modern day Cain’s, bringing what is easy or

convenient. When we give our best by faith we are making a covenant with God, and His

promise is that the rest will be blessed. When we hold back, or when we give to God that

which cost us nothing we are, in effect, saying that we do not trust God with the very

resources He has placed in our care.

When we hold back on God we are invoking the inverse of the covenant. There

are two sides to most covenants, just like there are with modern day contracts. When we

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take out a loan with a bank we are making a covenant with them to pay them back, plus

interest. But we are also making a covenant with them that in the event that we do not

make our payments we give them the legal right to claim anything we may have

purchased with the money they loaned us.

When God made a covenant with Israel it had two sides:

26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;

27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I
command you this day:
28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God,
but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other
gods, which ye have not known. (Deut. 11:26-28, KJV)

When we give "by faith," when we give our best, and when we give from the

"firstfruits," we are entering into the aspect of God's covenant which insures that the rest

will be blessed. When we give less than the best then that which remains is never

enough, we become like the people of Haggai's day. God said:

6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye
drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm;
and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes (Hag.
1:6, KJV).

In those situations where we do not come to worship God because we think we do

not have enough time, then we invoke the other side of the covenant and we allow our

time to be cursed. The same is true of our talents (our gifts and skills) or our treasures.

God puts before us "blessing and cursing," but we choose whether we walk in faith and

obedience, or doubt and disobedience. The first brings blessings, the latter initiates

curses. It may seem foolish that any would choose the curse, and yet selfishness and self-

centeredness will always push God's way and God's will to the side while we pursue our

own lusts.

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 The same situation was true for the people to whom Malachi spoke. God said:

8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we
robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation
(Mal. 3:8-9, KJV).

God gives the remedy for this situation, He said:

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine
house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open
you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not
be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the
fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in
the field, saith the LORD of hosts.( Mal. 3:10-11, KJV)

REFLECT: Have you ever experienced the inverse of the covenant because you were

disobedient? Did God chastise you for your disobedience? How did you move back into

His blessings? What did you learn?

NEW COVENANT (TESTAMENT) EXAMPLES

There are some who will argue that everything I've said is from the old covenant

and therefore does not apply to the Church in any form. We respond to this argument

from three angles: First, we notice that it is a New Testament Writer who brought up the

example of Abel. In fact, Jesus Himself speaks of "righteous Abel" (Matt. 23:35; Luke

11:51). Second, while it is true that we no longer offer burnt offerings, we are still called

upon to offer sacrifices, and like many things in the new covenant, the result is not to

give less, but to give more. In the Old Testament we gave some of what we had, but in

the New we give everything we are and offer ourselves as a "living sacrifice" (Rom.

12:1). Finally, the principle of giving the best first, expecting the rest to be blessed, is

found in the New Testament:

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 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how
they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed
like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to
morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little
faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we
drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father
knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these
things shall be added unto you (Matt 6:28-33, KJV).

Furthermore, the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Philippi:

14 Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my

affliction.
15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I
departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning
giving and receiving, but ye only.
16 For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.
17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.
18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the
things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice
acceptable, wellpleasing to God.
19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by
Christ Jesus (Phil 4:14-19, KJV).

To the church at Corinth Paul wrote:

6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he
which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not
grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
12 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always
having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (2 Cor
9:6-8, KJV).

What is the principle being illustrated in these verses? When we give we can and

should expect to receive. The reason the sinner continues in his pernicious ways is

because he does not expect a harvest of the things he has sown. Living and giving with

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the expectation that we will receive "in kind" that which we have sown will affect how

we live and what we give. For example, when we give friendship, we can expect to gain

friends. When we give kindness, we can expect to find kindness. On the other hand,

when we give anger, we can expect to find anger. When we give little time to our family

we may find, as aged mothers and fathers, that our family will have little time for us.

This is the law of reciprocity that couldn't be stated any clearer than Jesus stated it:

38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken
together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same
measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again (Luke 6:38,
KJV).

Some have said we don't give to get, and this is true on one level; it is true to the

extent that we worship God and give to Him because we love Him and He is worthy. But

it is also true that when we give our best, and when it is given as an act of faith, we can

do so because we trust God to sustain us and to prosper us (make our journey good) with

what remains.

Abel's example of faith, as it relates to salvation, is that our life is to be lived in

faith. We give the firstfruits without fear or reservation because we believe that all which

remains blessed by God. Despite what our circumstances looked like when we brought

our best to God, there will be enough (and then some) to meet our needs.

Those who withhold from God, are really withholding from themselves. They are

closing the windows of heaven above their own homes and lives. Likewise, a church that

withholds from God, a church that does not reach beyond its walls to touch others, shuts

up the windows of heaven for revival and increased financial resources to do ministry.

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 God is a wise investor. We read in the parable of the talents that a man who was

going on a journey left some money with his servants to invest for him (Matt. 25:15-28).

It was not by accident that he gave the least amount of money to the one who did the least

with it. When they came to report on what they had done with what they had, the man

with one talent admitted that he had not done anything with it. The master said, "Take

from him what he has and give it to the one who did the most with what he had" (my

paraphrase, Matt. 25:28). God will invest in people and churches which are working to

advance the Kingdom.

We may not see the "substance" of the entire harvest, but we give in faith, and by

giving of the firstfruits we are giving as though the blessing on the remainder is an

established fact. We give our sacrifices in faith and our sacrifice of time, talent and/or

treasures are given as evidence of what we believe God is going to do in us and for us.

The truth is, every time we have the opportunity to give of ourselves it is a test of

faith. Whether it is money, or using our talents to serve others, or giving from our

material possessions, our faith is on the line. When we have heard from God and the

directive is clear, then the only thing standing between us and the blessings of God is the

decision we make. Moreover, the decisions we make will be the product of the faith we

exercise. We can come and give some of the produce, something we picked up at the last

minute, something left over and of no real value, or we can give of the firstlings of the

flock, we can choose carefully to give the best that we can. For one widow, her best was

a few pennies but her best brought the praise of Jesus (Mark 12:41-44). For another it

may be much more, but every time the offering plate passes our pew, our faith is on the

line.

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 I do not teach or believe that every Christian who gives liberally in this life will

become rich here and now. But part of faith is the evidence of things hoped for. Hope is

for future blessings and is particularly connected to eschatological promises. Let's face it,

the bulk of our blessings are those treasures we have laid up in heaven. However, not all

the blessings are eschatological. I firmly believe that ". . . godliness is profitable unto all

things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Tim 4:8,

KJV).

I believe I can guarantee that any believer who puts God's economic principles

into practice in his or her life will experience greater financial freedom and will be

liberated to give to ministries which are meeting needs and glorifying God. As a result,

those men and women who can exercise sacrificial faith, will walk in the realm of

blessings.

REFLECT: We are often told that we should give without expecting to receive. In my

studies I have been challenged to give with expectation. What should we expect if we

you give God second best? Do you expect Him to bless you when you are obedient in

your giving? Do you understand the law of reciprocity? How does it affect the way you

give?

SUMMARY

I can hear someone saying, "Now wait a minute, Pastor Mark, Abel exercised his

faith and he ended up getting killed by his own brother."

This is true, but as I have already said, the bulk of the blessings are those which

are laid up in heaven:

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 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also ( Matt 6:19-21, KJV).

It is not just a euphemism to say that a Christian who has died has "gone on to his

reward." This is the truth. The truth is that Abel's death in the faith lifted him from the

pastures and planted his feet in Paradise. Faith does not exempt us from the storms and

struggles of life, but faith brings us through them victorious. Sometimes that victory is

experienced in a promotion on the job, sometimes that victory is being liberated from a

job that was robbing us of our time with our family and church. And still other times,

that victory is laying our head down on a chopping block in Rome and lifting it up in the

presence of God, the Righteous Judge, to receive a crown (2 Tim. 4:6-8).

The last thing the Writer tells us of the faith of Abel is that "by it (by his faith) he

being dead yet speaketh." The story of Abel’s faithfulness is still speaking to us

thousands of years later. There is something very powerful about that. When we learn to

have sacrificial faith, the things we do, the sacrifices we make, the ministry that we

accomplish will be speaking and touching and ministering long after we have made our

exit to glory. If I depart this world by way of death, I want to be known as one of those

"blessed 'ole saints." You know what I'm talking about, one of those men (or women)

whose life touched the next generation in meaningful and powerful ways.

In contrast to Abel, Cain lived, but he lived a life of torment. His name means

"acquire," and perhaps he sought to acquire for himself by robbing from God. As a result

he lived on the run and the ground into which he would plant seed is now twice cursed.

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Note the irony, if he had acted righteously and been faithful in giving the firstfruits, the

rest of the harvest would have been blessed. Instead, Cain allowed sin to defeat him.

In the new covenant God treats all of us like His own dear children. He will allow

us to make our mistakes and the results of those lessons can harden our heart and lead us

down the road of disobedience, or we can learn from the chastising hand of a loving

Father. We can look at our lives today and ask the question, "Have I been giving God

second best and do I see the evidence of cursed ground in my life?" If we see cursing

where there should be blessings then we need to come again to the altar and this time

bring the firstfruits, come with sacrificial faith believing that when we give our best, we

can trust God to bless the rest and reverse the curse which we have brought upon

ourselves.

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 CHAPTER THREE
Verses 5-6
Enoch: Faith Pleasing God

Heb 11:5-6 (KJV)

5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found,
because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he
pleased God.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Heb 11:5-6 (NLT)

5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying-- "suddenly he
disappeared because God took him." But before he was taken up, he was approved as
pleasing to God.
6 So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to
come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely
seek him.

INTRODUCTION

It is interesting that a man about whom we know so little would be listed in the

"Hall of Faith." Every reference to Enoch found in Scripture can be listed briefly below:

18 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:
19 And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and
daughters:
20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years,
and begat sons and daughters:
23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. (Gen. 5:18-
24, KJV)

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 1 Adam, Seth, Enosh,
2 Cainan, Mahalalel, Jared,
3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech,
4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (1 Chron. 1:1-4, NKJ)

37 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the
son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan,
(Luke 3:37, KJV)

5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found,
because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this
testimony, that he pleased God. (Heb 11:5, KJV)

14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold,
the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, (Jude 1:14, KJV)

ENOCH THE MAN

What do we know about Enoch and why would he be listed in Hebrews 11? It

should be noted that there are two men in Scripture who bear the name Enoch. The first

one mentioned was the first son of Cain. Cain later founded a city and named the city

after his firstborn (Gen. 4:17-18). The second man named Enoch was born from the line

of Seth. According to the genealogy from 1 Chronicles 1:1-3, Enoch was the seventh

generation from Adam: "Adam, Sheth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered, Henoch

(Enoch)."

The name "Enoch" means "consecrated" and it is said of him that he "walked with

God." It is said of Abraham that he "walked before God" (Gen. 17:1), but only of Enoch

and Noah that they walked "with" God (Gen. 5:24; 6:9). The only other thing we know

about Enoch from the Old Testament record is that he was the father of Methuselah (who

lived to be the oldest human) and was the father of unnamed daughters. We know that

Enoch was 365 years old when "God took him" (Gen. 5:23), or "translated" him "that he

should not see death" (Heb. 11:5).

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 In the New Testament Jude tells us that Enoch was a prophet who prophesied that

Jesus would return "with ten thousand of His saints" (Jude 1:14). Since we have no

record of Enoch prophesying it appears that Jude has another source with regard to

Enoch's life and ministry. Many scholars think that Jude is quoting a reference from a

writing known as "The Book of Enoch." While the books of Enoch (1 and 2 Enoch) are

not recognized as canonical, it may be that they accurately preserve some of the

apocalyptic prophecies of Enoch.

The first century Jewish historian, Josephus, tells us that when Enoch was 365

years old he "departed, and went to God: whence it is that they have not written down his

death." In other words, Josephus notes that there is nothing recorded concerning the

death of Enoch. Whereas it is written of one man after the other that they lived and died,

the litany of death is punctuated by the notation that one man was simply taken by God.

The only other man to escape the hand of death was Elijah (2 Kg. 2:11).

The Writer tells us that Enoch's faith stands as an example. It was by his faith

that Enoch walked with God (Gen.) and pleased God (Heb.); and because he pleased God

he was delivered from death. Enoch was "translated that he should not see death" (Heb.

11: 5). The word "translated" is from the Greek, metatithemi (met-at-ith'-ay-mee) which

Strong's defines as, "to transfer, i.e. (literally) transport, (by implication) exchange"

It is interesting that the Apostle Paul used a word from same root—methistemi

(meth-is'-tay-mee) "to transfer, i.e. carry away"—in Colossians 1:13. He writes, "Who

hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of

his dear Son" (KJV).

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 It is through the same faith by which Enoch pleased God that we too can please

God and walk with God. Likewise, Christians of all generations have lived with the hope

that we, like Enoch, might live to see the return of Christ and not see death but be

"changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor. 15:51-52).

REFLECT: Why do you think God chose to translate Enoch that he should not see

death? Would you like to see Jesus come back before you experience death? Why?

Are you ready for Christ to return at this very moment? If not, why not?

REAL FAITH BEGINS WITH GOD

The comment that Enoch "pleased God" moves the Writer to go on to tell his

readers that pleasing God is the object of faith. Walking with God can only truly be

accomplish to the extent that we please God, and we can only please God when we come

to Him by faith.

Pleasing God

Verse 6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to please God." This tells us two

things about faith: First, it tells us that faith begins with God and second, without faith we

cannot please God. Enoch pleased God and God promoted him into another realm.

What is the objective of faith? Is it pleasing self? Is it wishing and wanting and

grabbing and getting? James said:

2 You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are
jealous for what others have, and you can't possess it, so you fight and quarrel
to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don't have what you want is
that you don't ask God for it.
3 And even when you do ask, you don't get it because your whole motive is
wrong-- you want only what will give you pleasure" (Jas. 4:2-3, NLT).

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 Real faith does not begin with me, it begins with God. Real faith does not begin

with what I want, but with what God wants for me. He said, "my ways are higher than

your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Is. 55:8). Real faith begins with a desire

to please God, and without faith we cannot please Him. We may be great singers, or

build a massive church, or write wonderful Christian books, but without faith it is

impossible to please God.

REFLECT: What does it take to please God? How do you know that God is pleased

with your life? Are you pleasing God now? Is there something specific which you know

is not pleasing God in your life? If so, are you ready to get rid of it? Why or why not?

Real Faith Leads To God

Real faith will lead us to God just as it led Enoch into the presence of God. I do

not believe because I see, but because I believe I shall see. Job knew this kind of faith, he

said, "Though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God"

(Job19:26).

If our faith leads only to a church building, then it's not real faith. If our faith

leads only to a man or a woman behind a pulpit, then it's not real faith. If our faith leads

only to a dogma or a theological position, then it's not real faith. Real faith leads to God

because real faith believes that there is a God to go to.

I'm glad my faith sees the God that no man can see and live. My faith hears the

God who thunders with His voice and sends the skeptics running for cover. And my faith

feels the God whose very presence causes the mountains to quake at His Glory. I'm glad

that when I'm lonely, my faith finds Him as close as the whisper of His name. I'm glad

37
that when I falter, my faith finds a forgiving Father who looks at me through the cross of

His Son. I'm glad that my faith can believe in a God who is an ever-present help in a

time of trouble, a rock in a weary land, a shelter in the storm, a shield in the battle, and a

hand to hold on to.

REFLECT: Faith is both a journey and a destination. If you continue in the direction

your faith is taking you, where do you hope to be one year from now? Will that bring you

closer to God?

Real Faith Finds the I AM

Real faith isn't lost in the past, or fixated on the future, real faith finds a God who

"is." Faith is "the evidence of things hoped for," and while "hope" deals with the future,

"evidence" is what you carry with you into the courtroom of daily Christian living.

When Moses asked the Lord whom he should say was sending him to confront

Pharaoh, God said, "Tell Pharaoh, I AM, is sending you" (Ex. 3:14). God is the eternally

present one, He always is. He's not a washed up God, He's not just a God of the

"good-'ole-days," or days to come. He is God back then, He is God tomorrow, and He is

God right now. He is eternal and He is immutable.

Seven times Jesus told us that He is the "I AM." He said, "Before Abraham was, I

am" (John 8:58). Real faith finds a God who is real and who really is. Jesus is alive and

at the right hand of the Father and real faith finds Him there day or night, sun or rain,

weeping or rejoicing, when abounding or when abased, real faith finds that God is!

THE REAL REWARD OF FAITH

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 There is a story of two sisters. Both wanted to get married but they had very

different in their goals. One girl wanted a man to love forever, a man with whom she

could have and raise a family. The other sister wanted only to find a wealthy man who

could lavish wealth upon her. They both found what they were looking for, but at the end

of their lives only one woman died rich in family and love. The other only died wealthy

and lonely.

There are a lot of people talking about faith and about finding God but their

motives are often as different as these two sisters. Some come seeking God in the name

of faith looking for rewards. Others come in faith seeking God and find that He is their

reward. David knew that God is the reward, he said that God is "more to be desired . . .

than gold, yea than much fine gold!" (Ps. 19:10).

There are many who seek the material things of life as the reward of their faith.

Paul tells us that the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen

are eternal (2 Cor. 4:18). "Now faith is the . . . evidence of things not seen." The real

reward of faith is not in houses or cars, positions or wealth, clothes or jewels. The real

reward of faith is seeking and finding God. It is only the reward of finding God which

reaps the added benefit of knowing that He will supply all my needs according to His

riches in glory.

The Writer tells us that "He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." The

reward of diligently seeking God is finding Him and then walking with Him.

Real faith is about believing in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Real faith is about

one day hearing Him say, "Well done thy good and faithful servant" (Matt. 25:21). Real

faith creates a future in the presence of God and we live every day with this picture

39
burned upon our hearts. Real faith is evident in the life we live, a life that is leading us to

a city we have not seen. The way we talk, the way we walk, the desires of our heart and

the works of our hands are all focused upon, and leading to, a God who rewards us in a

time and place where faith will end in sight.

REFLECT: What would you like to have written on your headstone as an epithet? Does

this reflect they way you live now, or the way you would like to live? What is the single

greatest reward that you have gained from a life of faith? If this is all you were to get in

this life, would it be enough?

SUMMARY

What about it, do you have real faith? Does your heart burn to be nearer to God

today than you were yesterday? Real faith keeps you focused on your goal, keeps you

marching forward and does not look back. Real faith looks beyond this present veil of

flesh, sees a throne and hears an angel's choir. Real faith leads you through every day

with one desire, to hear Him say, "Well done!"

What is the real reward of faith? It's not the healing but in finding the Healer. It's

not the supply but in finding the Supplier. It's not religion but in a relationship with God

Himself.

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 CHAPTER FOUR
Verse 7
Noah: Moving by Faith

Heb 11:7 (KJV)

7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear,
prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and
became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Heb 11:7 (NLT)

7 It was by faith that Noah built an ark to save his family from the flood. He obeyed
God, who warned him about something that had never happened before. By his faith he
condemned the rest of the world and was made right in God's sight.

INTRODUCTION

Part of the definition of faith given in verse 1 is that faith is "the evidence of

things not seen." Noah stands as a sterling example of this very aspect of faith. His

genealogy is recorded in chapter 5 where he is listed as the fourth generation from Enoch.

The story of his faith is recorded in Genesis chapters 6 through 9.

THE EXAMPLE OF NOAH FOR CHRITIANS TODAY

By the days of Noah the downward spiral of sin had reached new depths of

degradation and disgrace. The desperate situation of the earth is addressed in Genesis 6

verses 5 through 7:

5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that
every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

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 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved
him at his heart.
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of
the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air;
for it repenteth me that I have made them (KJV).

Jesus tells us that this is the same desperate situation the world will be in before
the earth is purged again during a time of "great tribulation" such as the world has never
seen before, nor shall see again (Matt. 24:21). In fact, Jesus tells us:
26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of
man.
27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage,
until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed
them all (Luke 17:26-27, KJV).

Therefore Noah's example is important to understand because the same type of

faith which rescued him and his family from the flood will be the same type of faith

which will preserve the Christian from the impending judgment of God upon the

contemporary world.

Look at the description of the world during Noah's day. In Genesis it says, "the

wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of

his heart was only evil continually." Then, in chapter 6 the situation is described further:

11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had
corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth
is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the
earth (Gen. 6:11-13, KJV).

If this doesn't describe the present age then nothing does. In almost every secular

movie, television show, song or theater production sex, drugs, and violence are the

themes. Corruption is rampant in world government, courts, and industry. Violence is

carried out in epic proportions in places around the world as one ethnic group tries to

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destroy another. We see the bodies piled like cord wood in mass graves and we do

nothing.

In government the themes of the day are protection for the abortion industry and

gay rights. Legislators fight to allow women to deliver all but the head of the baby,

pierce the back of the baby's head with a scalpel, use a vacuum extractor to suck out the

brains and throw the body into a garbage can and call it “a woman's right.” We have a

president who had a chance to end this heinous practice, but he refused.

We live in a day when the perversion of homosexuality is being presented as a

normal expression of human sexuality and anyone who disagrees is branded as radical

right wing fanatics. Increasingly, conservative Christians are being described as

intolerant murderers of gays and abortion providers. The church is being vilified while

the evil of the day is literally paraded as normal and desirable. God help us. Judgment is

on the horizon and only real faith will allow us to realize the "blessed hope" (Titus 2:5).

Noah is our example, let's look closer.

THE HISTORY OF NOAH’S FAITH

We are told that in Noah's day things had gotten so bad that God was sorry He

had created humanity. God decided that He would destroy every living thing that walked

upon the face of the earth. Once again the entire earth was affected because of the sin of

humanity (see Gen. 3:14-19).

Being Just, however, God decided to save Noah and his family because he "was a

righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God" (Gen.

6:9, NIV). So God planned to destroy the world and at the same time preserve Noah and

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his family. Fortunately for the animal kingdom they were saved as well because they

were given to humanity as a blessing from the Lord (Ps. 8).

God's plan was to cause it to rain upon the earth in such a deluge that after forty

days and nights of rain the entire earth would be covered with water. Everything upon

the earth would die. What about Noah? God instructed him to build an ark, or a ship.

God gave specific details about how the ship was to be built, the materials to be used and

who would be boarding the ship. God also told Noah when to load the ship and exactly

what to take (Gen. 6:13-7:16).

When we put ourselves in Noah's place we better understand the magnitude of his

faith. To begin, according to Scripture it had never yet rained on the earth. At this time

the earth received its moisture from a heavy dew which fell every night (Gen. 1:6-8; 2:5,

10-14; 5:5). What God told Noah was going to happen, had never happened before. It

was almost incomprehensible to the people of that day. Still, Noah moved ahead in faith

responding with obedience. He proceeded to build the ship.

One can only imagine the ridicule and public derision he received as the ship was

being built. From the time of God's first word to Noah (Gen. 6:13), until the ship was

completed and God spoke again (7:1), is believed to have been over one hundred years

(compare Gen. 5:32; 6:8, 13; 7:1-6). For all those years Noah kept building the ship and

preaching righteousness (1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:6; Luke 17:26, 27). No doubt he was

scorned and mocked but this mammoth building project continued.

REFLECT: Imagine hearing God speak to you telling you of a coming catastrophic world

event. Would you call CNN and try to warn the world or would you wait and see? Noah

preached righteousness but the world refused to listen. Then imagine that God told you

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to spend all your money, time and resources to build a ship which would save you from

the coming catastrophe. Would you do it?

Let's say that you do what God tells you to do, you preach to everyone around

you warning them of the coming judgment, you spend all your money and time building

the structure, then, year after year passes and you still haven't heard from God again.

All around you things appear to carry on just like they always have. Do you think you

would begin to doubt God—or yourself? If Noah ever doubted it is not mentioned,

instead, we are told that Noah had faith. He just kept pressing ahead believing that

whatever God promises, He will also perform.

PREACHING AND PREPARING

Do you see the parallel for our day? The Church has been preaching for the return

of Christ for two thousand years. We've been preparing and laying up treasures in

heaven while the world mocks us saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? for since

the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the

creation" (2 Pet. 3:4, KJV).

Fragile faith will fail in the interim, but faith that is "the evidence of things not

seen" continues to move in obedience and prepare for the promise. We cannot flag or

fail, we must not stop or look back, but our faith must keep us obeying God in the face of

ridicule. And all the while we preach, we declare the righteousness of God and a

message of hope for them who will believe.

God has promised us that He is coming back (John 14:3). He has given us His

word that we have not been appointed to wrath but unto salvation (1 Thess. 5:9). We are

45
going to be "caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and

so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:17, KJV).

This all sounds like foolishness to the world; it sounds like pie in the sky wishful

thinking, and yet, it is the only hope for humanity. For the world of Noah's day the only

hope for planet earth was the faith of one man, Noah. His faith not only saved him, but

also his family and all land animal life. Ultimately, the faith of Noah saved us. After all,

we wouldn't be here if Noah hadn't had faith.

We ought to consider how powerfully our faith can impact others. If we believe

that Jesus is coming back and our faith in the promises of God motivates us to obey the

Great Commission, then how many lives can we touch? What about our children and our

grandchildren for generations to follow?

Noah and seven others got in the ark (eight souls), and God closed the door (Gen.

7:16). After the door was closed those who had heard a crazy old man preaching for over

one hundred years suddenly began to wish they had listened. Clouds began to billow,

lightening flashed and thunder rolled, and then, water started falling from the sky. One

wonders at what point those outside the ark began to believe the words preached by the

old man with a ship in his back yard. Whenever it was, it was too late.

God closed the door and even if Noah and his family had wanted to open the

door, it was not their decision to make. The people had refused to believe and lived in

rebellion against God until now . . . judgment! But by faith Noah believed what he could

not see and held fast the warning and the promise of God.

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 One wonders how long after the church has been "caught up" and removed from

this rebellious world. . . how long will it take those who have heard the preaching of the

Gospel of Jesus Christ to realize we were telling the truth?

Right up until the rain began to fall the world was eating and drinking and giving

in marriage as though nothing was going to happen—but it did. Jesus said this is how it

will be when He returns. The world goes rolling blindly along, living as though God has

forgotten His promises, living as though the church steeples which dot country and city

streets have no more value than a ship in the desert. But one day the river of God's

judgment will begin to run through the streets of this world and many who have never

darkened the doors of the church will be begging for someone to open up and preach

another sermon.

REFLECT: Have you ever felt like Noah? Do you tell others that Jesus is coming back,

only to have them poke fun at you? How do you handle it? If you had been Noah,

would you have tried to open the door when the rain started falling and the people

started panicking?

SUMMARY

The lesson we learn from the faith of Noah is that when God speaks, we ought to

listen, believe, and obey. Furthermore, Noah's faith teaches us that real faith endures. It

may be years between the promise and fulfillment, but God is not slack concerning His

promises, if He promises He will follow through. Remember the words of the Apostle

Peter on this subject:

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 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness;
but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons
ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the
heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye
may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless (2 Pet 3:9-14,
KJV).

Just as Noah kept building the ark between his first visitation from God and the

next conversation, the church exists in the interim. Like Noah we keep building up the

kingdom of the Lord. Day by day, decade by decade, millenium by millenium the church

keeps building on the kingdom. And just as surely as the rain fell in Noah’s day,

judgement will rain someday. The hope of every Christian when those days come is to

be sheltered in the ark of faith and lofted upon the wings of God’s love.

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 CHAPTER FIVE
Verses 8-10
Abraham: Faith to Follow Where God Leads

Heb 11:8-10 (KJV)

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should
after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in
tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Heb 11:8-10 (NLT)

8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go
to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing
where he was going.
9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—
for he was like a foreigner, living in a tent. And so did Isaac and Jacob, to whom God
gave the same promise.
10 Abraham did this because he was confidently looking forward to a city with
eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

INTRODUCTION

Without doubt, Abraham is the central human figure of Jewish nationality, even
as Moses is the central human figure of Jewish religion. It is impossible to overestimate
the importance of Abraham in the life of the Jewish people. Both Paul and James address
the importance of Abraham and demonstrate from two different (though not
contradictory) perspectives that his example is important for Christians as well.
In his letter to the Galatians Paul declared that Abraham, by virtue of the faith he
exercised, is the spiritual forefather of the church but not of non-believers—including
non-believing Jews (Gal. 3:6-4:31). Even Jesus referred to Abraham in several places.

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With regard to faith and his place in the plan and promise of God, Jesus declared, "Your
father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad" (John 8:56, KJV).
The faith of Abraham is well attested by the Apostle Paul:

1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this
matter?
2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast
about—but not before God.
3 What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to
him as righteousness" (Rom 4:1-3, NIV).

16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be
guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring-- not only to those who are of the law
but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all
(Rom. 4:16, NIV).

6 Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as

righteousness."
7 Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.
8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and
announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed
through you."
9 So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith
(Gal 3:6-9, NIV).

In Hebrews chapter 11, Abraham is mentioned more, and given more attention

than any of the other men or women of faith. His name appears ten times in the book of

Hebrews and twice in chapter 11. This is important because the first audience of the

book of Hebrews is believed to have been Jewish Christians who were contemplating

going back into Judaism. By pointing to Abraham's faith (as Paul also does) the Writer

pulled the rug out from under their arguments. The Writer is saying, in effect, "If

Abraham were here today, he too would be a Christian."

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 Look at the text again, verse 8 tells us that "By faith Abraham . . .obeyed."

Verses 9 and 10 tell us, "By faith Abraham . . . sojourned . . . looked for a city." Let's

look first at Abraham's call and the faith required to obey God, and then at the faith of

Abraham as he continued in faith, though he never saw the complete materialization of

the promises of God in his lifetime.

REFLECT: Have you considered Paul’s comment that as believers we are heirs of the

promises made to Abraham? What does that mean to us in practical terms?

THE CALL

When we go back and look again at the call of God upon the life of Abraham

(then Abram) it is startling (Heb. 11:8; Gen. 12:1-5). The account follows on the heels of

the story of the Tower of Babel. We learn from that text where the division of nations

originated and how God chose one man and his wife, out of all the nations of the earth, to

begin a plan of reconciliation. This plan reached its apex in Jesus Christ, whom Paul tells

us is ultimately "the seed" (the offspring of Abraham) through Whom the nations of the

earth would be blessed (Gal. 3:16).

When the Lord first spoke to Abram, there was nothing—that we know about him

—which suggests that he was any more deserving of the call and promises of God than

any other man of the day was. It was by God's sovereign will that Abram was chosen.

As far as we know, Abram was Chaldean at the time of his call. But God's call was for

Abram to separate himself from his place of origin and move by faith to a place that God

would show him.

Look back to Genesis chapter 12 verses 1 through 5 and examine the call:

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 1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from
thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy
name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in
thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with
him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of
Haran.
5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their
substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran;
and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan
they came (KJV).

What is significant about the response of Abram?

No Questions, Only Obedience

Abram packed up and moved out. Our delays may leave us standing outside the

ark when the rain starts falling, or it may cause us to lose those promises that are

predicated upon an immediate response of faith. Sometimes we don't have time to reflect

upon all the theological implications of the commands of Christ. Jesus told the man

whose hand was crippled, "Stretch forth thy hand" (Luke 6:10, KJV). The man did that

which reason would dictate could not be done, and by responding in faith, without trying

to debate the point with Jesus, the man was healed. The command might be, "Take up

your bed and walk," or it might be, "Lazarus come forth," but there are those times and

places in our walk with God when what is needed is a simple and immediate expression

of faith and obedience.

REFLECT: Does Jesus still do this today? Does He ever speak to your heart and tell

you to pick up the phone and call someone? What is your response? When God tells

you to say or do something which you’ve never done before, are you able move

immediately in faith, or do you have to wait and see?

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 There are times when we need to "try the spirits and see whether they be of God"

(1 John 4:1), but this is referring to what someone else may be telling us, not to what we

hear God speaking to our own heart. Jesus said we will know His voice when we are

truly His sheep. If we have trouble discerning between His voice and our own, then

maybe we need to get a little closer to Him and spend a little more time in conversation

with the Shepherd of our soul.

Listen to God, you may hear Him calling you to immediate action. The faith of

Abraham is able to obey without delay.

Willing to Leave the Familiar Behind

Real faith is just as excited about what God has before us as it is about what is

behind. Remember the definition of faith: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped

for . . . ." Hope implies a future event. “Abraham,” the Writer tells us, "went out."

Stepping out in faith, as the poet said, is "stepping out on nothing and finding

something there." Abraham, a seventy-five year old man, went out. Some want to soften

the significance of Abraham's life changing move by pointing out that being 75-years-old

back then was more like being 25 in our day. It is true that they lived longer, but human

nature being what it is, leaving behind 75 years of familiar, of kinsmen, of land and

starting over takes great faith.

REFLECT: Are we as willing as Abraham to make these changes in our life? Are we

willing to try new methods of evangelism, or accept culturally diverse Christian

practices? Or do we complain, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks"? Abraham didn't

make excuses, he made haste and he moved on.

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 Obeying Without All the Answers

God did not initially tell Abraham where he was going. Still, Abraham was

willing to pack up and start moving by faith, "not knowing wither he went." If Abraham

had been like some of us, he would have said, "God, I'll start moving when you tell me

exactly where I'm going! But until then, I'm staying right where I'm at."

I'm not suggesting that we should change churches on a whim. I've seen people

wonder from one church to the next and never put down roots. They never get involved

in ministry, or if they do, they start something and then bail out in the middle of it. Faith

isn't a matter of being willfully ignorant, or doing foolish things and then claiming to be

moving in faith. Faith is having a definite word from God, and then moving in the

direction He points. Abraham didn't have all the details, but he did have a definite word

from God.

Again, remember that a major dimension of faith is "trust." God said, "Go," so

Abraham started getting up and moving on. Faith obeyed and faith trusted.

REFLECT: Do we need to have all the answers before we start moving with God? Have

you ever felt like God was calling you to a ministry, but you couldn't understand or

reason out how He was going to get all the pieces to fall into place? What did you do?

THE SOJOURN

It didn't take Abraham 40 or more years to reach Canaan. It was a journey of over

400 miles, so it took quite a while, but the journey to Canaan is not the subject of the

word "sojourn" in the book of Hebrews (Heb. 11:19-10; Gen. 12:5). The Writer is telling

54
us that once reaching the region which would ultimately become the Land of Promise for

future generations, it was still only a promise while Abraham lived there.

Abraham never owned any land in Canaan except for a burial plot which he

purchased for Sarah (Gen. 23)—He too was later buried there. He never built any cities,

never drove out any other tribes, and never even built a house. He and his son Isaac and

grandson Jacob lived in tents while they were in Canaan. They were nomads in the

region, traveling through the pastureland with great flocks of sheep and herds of cattle.

This was the land God had promised them but they would never own it.

Sometimes new ministries, and even local churches, go through similar

transitions. A man or woman obeys God and becomes a spiritual pioneer. They start

with nothing and by the time they fade from prominence it may still appear that they

haven't done much. But then the next generation picks up the baton and runs with it. The

ministry, which started so inconspicuously, may ultimately find its most fruitful years in

the hands of future generations.

I think of our own denomination, the Church of God (Cleveland, TN); Richard

Spurling, Senior, began the movement but died shortly afterward. His son took it further,

and today the Church of God is a worldwide leader in the Pentecostal movement. The

pioneers of today must be willing to let the next generation own and change the future as

they follow God's will for ministry.

So what was Abraham doing in Canaan? Why did he need to leave Ur and go

wandering around a land he would never own? He was securing the promise for the next

generation. Look at Genesis chapter 13, verses 14 through 18:

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 14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift
up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and
southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for
ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number
the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I
will give it unto thee.
18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre,
which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD (KJV).

Abraham wasn't just wandering aimlessly through Canaan. Abraham had a vision

of a city, as he walked through the land he saw through eyes of faith a country inhabited

by his offspring. He walked the length and breadth of the land and everywhere he placed

the soles of his feet he could hear God say, "I'm giving it to you."

Even more than land and cities upon the earth, Abraham's obedience was

motivated by the fact that he believed in an eternal city. Perhaps he, like the Apostle

John, had received a vision of the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven (Rev.

3:12).

Although Abraham knew he would never own the land or dwell in cities upon the

earth, he believed in more than his eyes could see. The New Living Translation of

Hebrews 11:10 captures this truth: "Abraham did this because he was confidently looking

forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God."

REFLECT: Are you primarily motivated to put your faith in God because of what you
believe you can gain in this life, or in the life to come? If you had been Abraham do you
think you might have questioned God as to why you did not own land in the Land of
Promise? Are you prepared to turn over the promises God has made you, or your
church, to the next generation? Are you passing on the vision? How?

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SUMMARY

Our faith is motivated by far more than we will ever have or see upon this earth.

Our faith is "the substance of things hoped for." Obedience is not carried out simply

because we think we are going to get a treat at the end of it. We are not dogs jumping for

the amusement of God. We are part of a grand and glorious plan for the eternal state of

humanity. We are in partnership with God and our vision must look beyond the material

temporal things to view the eternal spiritual rewards of faith.

As noted earlier, Jesus said that Abraham saw the days of Jesus. It was a "faith

thing," it was more than land and houses and inheritances. Abraham saw a day when

people of all nations would worship God and Abraham was glad.

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 CHAPTER SIX
Verses 11-12
Sarah: Faith That Delivers

Heb 11:11-12 (KJV)

11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was
delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had
promised.
12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars
of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

Heb 11:11-12 (NLT)

11 It was by faith that Sarah together with Abraham was able to have a child, even
though they were too old and Sarah was barren. Abraham believed that God would keep
his promise.
12 And so a whole nation came from this one man, Abraham, who was too old to
have any children-- a nation with so many people that, like the stars of the sky and the
sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

INTRODUCTION

If Abraham is the national father of Israel, Sarah is the national mother. Sarah's

only child, Isaac, was the father of Jacob, who was later named "Israel" by the Lord.

Abraham, on the other hand, had several children, but only one child of promise.

Abraham fathered a child with Hagar, Ishmael, who is claimed by Arabs as their national

father. After Sarah's death Abraham remarried and had several other children (Gen. 25:1-

8), but Sarah is central to the promises of God. Her one and only child is the child of

promise.

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 Sarah's faith should not be overlooked in all this. Two angels and the Lord

appeared to Abraham (apparently a Theophany) and the Lord told Abraham that He, the

Lord, had not forgotten the promise given some twenty-five years earlier. Sarah

overheard someone talking to Abraham, telling him that he (about one hundred years old)

and Sarah (about ninety) would have a child together. When Abraham first heard this

(Gen. 17) he laughed. We are told that he literally fell on the ground laughing. Then,

later when the Lord spoke to Abraham outside their tent, Sarah also broke out in laughter:

9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the
tent.
10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and,
lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which
was behind him.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to
be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I
have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall
I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto
thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said,
Nay; but thou didst laugh (Gen. 18:9-15, KJV).

Who could blame her? It seems impossible, but that is precisely the point. With

man it is impossible. Just as it is impossible for a woman who has never known a man to

conceive and bear a child. Sarah's laugh gave occasion for the Lord's rhetorical question,

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?" The answer implied in the question itself is that

"nothing is too hard for the Lord."

REFLECT: Has God ever given you a promise that appeared to run contrary to

everything you were experiencing? How did you respond? Did the promise come to

pass? If not, why not?

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SOMETIMES FAITH STARTS WEAK AND GROWS STRONG

Sarah’s laughter didn't look like faith but doubt. She focused first on the

impossibility of the situation. Isn't that human tendency? God says we can but

everything around us is telling us that we can't. We tend to let the impact of our

circumstances have the first word. That's okay as long as we give God the last word and

as long as the last word is the word that clings to our heart.

The Writer said, "Through faith also Sarah herself received strength. . ." It is

almost certain that the strength referred to here is primarily a reference to physical

strength and vitality to conceive and give birth to a child. But it seems that a

strengthening of her faith was needed as well.

When we are faced with challenges to our faith we don't always have an

immediate and unswerving explosion of confidence. Often we are like the father of the

demon possessed boy who told Jesus, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief" (Matt.

9:24). Put yourself in this man's shoes for a moment. He had brought his son to the

disciples of Jesus and after praying and commanding the demons to come out, the child

was still possessed. That doesn't do a lot to build your faith. In fact, he may have come

to the disciples with more faith than he had later when Jesus came onto the scene and

said, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23,

KJV).

REFLECT: If you've gone to the altar for prayer in the past and yet you were not healed,

can you still believe for healing or does your faith grow weaker with each prayer? What

can you do to increase your faith?

Jesus’ own disciples, men who had seen Jesus do wonderful works, majestic

miracles and awesome signs, ask Jesus "increase our faith" (Luke 17:5). Jesus did not

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berate his disciples for their honest request, but He did tell them that a small amount of

faith can accomplish powerful things. He said, "If ye had faith as a grain of mustard

seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou

planted in the sea; and it should obey you" (Luke 17:6, KJV).

It is not how much faith we have but what we do with what we've got, and more

importantly, Who our faith is in. When we keep our faith in God He can help our faith to

grow. Even when Jesus told people, "be it unto thee according to thy faith," His focus

was not so much on how much faith they had but what they believed and Whom they

believed in.

I've seen people who have great faith in false doctrines; their great faith will not
save them. Then I’ve also seen people who had weak faith, faith that faltered and
struggled from time to time, but faith in the Word of God and faith in Jesus Christ. Their
weak faith can grow, it can get stronger, but strong faith in wrong teaching is hard to
change. That's why it is easier to reach an out-and-out sinner than it is to convert a
Muslim or a Jehovah's Witness.

REFLECT: Which is more important in getting a prayer answered, your faith, or God’s

power? Have you ever felt that your faith was insufficient to accept and receive a

promise that you believed God had given you?

BELIEVE, CONCEIVE, RECEIVE

Sarah was confronted by her doubt. The Lord asked Abraham why Sarah

laughed. Sarah heard it and said, "I didn't laugh." Of course she was trying to cover up

her doubts and fears. She was afraid to admit that she had laughed. But God knew she

had indeed laughed.

If we have doubts and fears the best thing to do is to be honest with God. He

already knows. Sarah had doubts, and she was afraid to admit it but somewhere between

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her laughter the first cry of her new born baby boy, Sarah began to believe. From there

she received strength to conceive and eventually to receive the promise. The growth of

faith may occur in small and unimpressive steps and it may be a long time in coming. It

was ten years from Sarah's laughter to the baby's first cry. Let your faith grow on what

you know until you can stand on what you believe and walk on what you cannot see. The

Apostle Paul said, "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (1 Cor. 5:7, KJV).

REFLECT: Do you view faith as something you either have or do not have, or as

something that everyone has to varying degrees? Can you have faith, and yet entertain

doubts at the same time? Have you ever seen God answer a prayer of yours even

though you felt that your faith was insufficient?

FAITH HOLDING ON TO THE PROMISE

The Writer tells us that Sarah "judged (counted, considered) him (God) faithful

who had promised." The problem for many people today is that they have "microwave

faith." The microwave can cook a thirty-minute meal in three minutes, thereby adding to

the rapid pace of modern life. We can get more stuff done quicker but instead of having

more time to relax we have added more things to our "To Do" list.

We are told by some that when we snap the whip God has to jump. If we ask

God, and if we use the right formula, and repeat the right words, and have great faith, we

can put God on a leash and tell Him where to go, when to go, and what to do. It just ain't

so!

We must have patience. Faith may be tried by the passing of years. Noah

understood this, Abraham understood this and Sarah came to understand this. Still, we

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argue, “What else did they have to do back then but wait! We need it as soon as

possible!” So we pray, "Lord, give me patience, and do it now."

James used the illustration of the farmer (Jas. 5:7). The farmer plants the seed

and then believes that he will have a harvest. Still, he has to have patience; he has to wait

on the early and the latter rain. He can't see what is going on beneath the ground, yet he

believes that the seed he has planted will eventually break through the ground and he will

have a harvest.

Our faith may be like a mustard seed, but when God gives us the promise we need

to plant our faith in Him, we need to wait with patience and we need to trust God's

timing. Worrying and fretting will not speed up the process. Thrusting our fists into the

air and blaming God will not cause it to pass any sooner. All we can do is ask in faith

and then leave it in the hands of God.

Leaving it in the hands of God, however, does not mean that we forget it. In fact,

we may continue to ask, and to seek and to knock. It is because we know that God is

faithful to do whatever He has promised that we continue to come back to Him. If we

didn't believe we'd ask once, if it didn't happen we'd say, "Well, I guess God can't do

anything so I'll just quit asking." But Jesus said we can ask, seek and knock with

persistence because we know God hears and answers (Matt. 7:7; Luke 11:9).

Those long seasons of waiting may try our faith, but James tells us that this is part

of our spiritual growth plan:

3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire,
wanting nothing (Jas. 1:3-4, KJV).
Sarah became a great woman of faith, but it didn't happen overnight. She had ten

years of training. She saw the hand of God at work in her and Abraham's lives. She saw

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God judge Sodom and Gomorra and yet deliver Lot and his daughters. She saw God

deliver her and Abraham out of the hand of the King Abimelech. She came to know God

better and believe that God is true to His promise. Faith then conceived a child in her

nineties. Finally, she gave birth and received in full the promise of God. She named him

Isaac, which means "laughter." What was once laughter in doubt had become laughter of

joy and fulfillment. Such is the growth of faith.

The Apostle Paul had a thorn in the flesh (1 Cor. 12:7-10). We know that this

was a "messenger from Satan," but it seems that, like Job, this demon attacked Paul in his

flesh. The phrase, "thorn in the flesh," is not just an idiomatic phrase. This phrase

describes the nature of the demonic attack. He was being attacked in his flesh; which is

from the Greek word sarx, meaning the physical body of an individual.

Was Paul a great man of faith? Sure he was, but part of his spiritual training

program was learning that the grace of God is sufficient to sustain in situations which he

did not enjoy, did not want, and prayed repeatedly would be removed. Training can be

trying but the objective of training is preparing us for greater triumphs. Spiritual muscles

grow stronger on the training ground of life. Sitting on the front porch rocker watching

life pass us by robs us of the victories which await those who have heard the call of God,

accepted the challenge of God, and have begun to fulfill the commission of God.

By faith both Abraham and Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son—not just any

son, the son of promise. Every passing day between the promise given, and the promise

living, was a reminder that the clock was ticking. Every day that passed could have and

should have weakened their faith, instead their faith grew stronger until they obtained a

good report, Isaac is born. Laughter filled the empty tent of the once barren woman. Joy

was born they knew the promise was fulfilled.

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REFLECT: Have you ever had to wait and extended period of time to see faith fulfilled?

Have you ever gone through a sickness or illness and in the process discovered deeper

truths of God’s love than you knew before the illness? Have you been able to share

these insights with others that may be going through a similar circumstance?

SUMMARY

It was promised of Jesus, like Isaac, that He would come in a miraculous fashion.

The promise was given to Israel through the Prophet Isaiah:

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be
upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The
mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the
throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with
judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the
LORD of hosts will perform this (Isa. 9:6-7, KJV).

Almost eight hundred years would pass before this promise was fulfilled in a

manger in Bethlehem. Some people had given up hope, but two elderly people were

waiting. Luke tells us that Simeon and Anna, people of "great age" (Luke 2:36, NKJV),

had been looking and waiting for the "Consolation of Israel" (Luke 2:25). They lived to

see the promise.

Over two thousand years ago another promise was given. We were promised that

Jesus is coming back. If the Apostle Paul were alive he'd tell us, "Believe!":

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord
(1 Thes. 4:16-17, KJV).

If James, the brother of Jesus were here he'd tell us, "Keep believing!":

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 7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the
husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience
for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth
nigh (Jas. 5:7-8, KJV).

If the Apostle Peter were here, he'd say, "Believe in the promise!"

9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness;
but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up (2
Pet 3:9-10, KJV).

If Jesus were here today (and He is) He would say:

19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the
desolation thereof is nigh.
21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which
are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter
thereinto.
22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be
fulfilled.
23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those
days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive
into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the
times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon
the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are
coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and
great glory.
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your
heads; for your redemption draweth nigh (Luke 21:19-28, KJV).

Have faith in God and let your faith give birth to answered prayers. Let your faith

believe, conceive, and receive. Let your faith grow within you until at last, though it

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come by travail as of a woman in labor, your tears are turned to laughter and the your

home is filled with the daily reminder that God is faithful.

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 CHAPTER SEVEN
Verses 13-16
Abraham: Faith Finding a Better Country

Heb 11:13-16 (KJV)

13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them
afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were
strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out,
they might have had opportunity to have returned.
16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not
ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Heb 11:13-16 (NLT)

13 All these faithful ones died without receiving what God had promised them, but
they saw it all from a distance and welcomed the promises of God. They agreed that they
were no more than foreigners and nomads here on earth.
14 And obviously people who talk like that are looking forward to a country they can
call their own.
15 If they had meant the country they came from, they would have found a way to go
back.
16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God
is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a heavenly city for them.

INTRODUCTION

Too often the concept of faith is focused on what we can get out of God here and

now. In fact, if a person doesn't receive an immediate response then his or her faith is

often questioned. But wait a minute! The Writer, in his discussion of faith and the

examples of great men and women of faith, pauses in verse 13 to tell us that all the

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people he has just mentioned—Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and

Jacob--"died without receiving what God had promised them." If this is true (and it is)

how then do we measure their faith? If they didn't get what they were believing for, then

how do we know they had faith?

The answer to this is very simply that they were faithful. They all looked beyond

an immediate response from God and claimed promises with eternal significance. Their

faith in better things beyond the moment enabled them to live faithfully unto God. They

weren't prefect, many of them had their failures or moments of doubt (Noah's

drunkenness, Abraham's deception and fear before a foreign king, Sarah's plan to help

God give Abraham a son through her handmaiden, Jacob's deception) but each of them

pressed, by faith, beyond their failures and faithfully pursued the promises of God.

BELIEVING WITHOUT RECEIVING

How were these elders able to maintain their faith? What does it mean to be

"faithful"? The text tells us: They saw the "substance of things hoped for" and their faith

in the promises of God was the "evidence of things not seen."

They Were Persuaded

The verse continues, ". . . having seen them (the promises) afar off, and were

persuaded of them, and embraced them . . ." (v. 13). The word "persuaded" is from the

Greek word peitho, which means, "to convince." They were convinced that what God

had promised would come to pass and because they were convinced, they "embraced" or

"welcomed" them. The picture is that their faith in God was so strong that they wrapped

their arms around His promises and never let go.

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 Their Positive Confession

". . . and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. . ." (v. 13).

Their confession almost sounded negative. They did not confess that they already owned

Canaan. They did not live in denial of reality but they lived looking beyond the present

realities claiming instead, eternal eventualities. The Apostle Paul exhorts us all to posses

this kind of faith. He said, "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the

things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things

which are not seen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18, KJV).

They admitted that they were "aliens and strangers on the earth" (NIV). They

weren't claiming anything profound and yet the implications of what they confessed had

profound results. The Writer observes that "people who talk like that are looking forward

to a country they can call their own." Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Jacob "sojourned"

while in Canaan. While they were in the land of promise to which the Lord had led them,

they confessed that they were foreigners and nomads. Obviously people who say things

like that are not claiming that where they are living now is their final home. Instead they

are just passing through.

Peter indicates that this is the very state of mind which should exist in the

Christian. This world is not our final home. Peter addressed his first letter (1 Pet. 1:1) to

"the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia" and so on. Then in verse 11 of his

second letter he again addressed them as strangers, "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as

strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul" (KJV).

The Apostle Paul tells us that ". . . we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus

Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior" (Phil. 3:20,

NLT). Like the examples of faith in Hebrews 11, the consummation of our faith is not in

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what we receive here, but that we plant our feet on streets of gold and walk through a city

whose builder and maker is God. This kind of faith keeps us from clinging to the

moment or living in the past.

REFLECT: How do you measure your own level of faith? Is it by what we receive from

God, does that indicate how much faith we have? Is our faith determined by how we feel

on any given day? Is our faith measured by how good we are? How should we

measure faith?

NOTHING TO GO BACK TO

If these men and women of faith had considered their former dwelling, the place

where they came from (Ur, in Abraham's case), to be their home, then they could have

simply gone back. But when they left, the break with their former life was complete and

final. Their faith was quite different from that of the Israelites who came out of Egypt.

They weren't really from Egypt and yet they kept talking about going back.

When Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Jacob talked about being foreigners and nomads

it was not because were absent from the land of their origin, it was because they were on

the their way to their destiny. "They were longing for a better country--a heavenly one"

(v. 16, NIV). They weren't looking back they were looking forward.

REFLECT: Have you ever found yourself in a tight spot and started looking back? Are

you ever haunted by the "should'a, would'a, could'as” of life? Doesn't faith continue to

look ahead, isn't faith the "evidence of things hoped for"? If you pray for healing for

someone and believe God to heal him or her and he or she dies, does that mean that

you or they simply did not have enough faith? Is it true that our ultimate healing is still

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something "hoped for"? Aren't we still waiting for the day when this mortal shall put on

immortality and this corruptible shall put on incorruption (1 Cor. 15:53, 54)?

GOD IS NOT ASHAMED

"Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city

for them" (v. 16b, NIV). By saying, "God is not ashamed" the Writer is saying God is

proud to be called their God. Their obedience and trust in God, their faithfulness and

commitment to God gave God reason to boast on them here in His Word. Knowing their

faith and their daring determination God has already prepared a city for them.

Jesus Gave His Church the Promise

2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told
you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you
unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also (John 14:2-3, KJV).

We can make God proud by being faithful. We should be full of faith in His

promises and in the hope that our ultimate destination is in His presence where we will

hear Him say, "Well done thy good and faithful servant." When we do this the wealth and

fame of this world will not distract us.

Paul criticized those who think, "gain is godliness." Paul's advice to Timothy is

that he withdraw from people who hold such views (1 Tim. 6:5). Paul's conclusion is,

"For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out" (v. 7,

KJV). So our hope and the end of faith is not in this life but the life to come.

REFLECT: Is it possible to measure faith? If so, how would you do it? Do you think

that perhaps the only accurate way to measure faith is by the level of “faithfulness”

despite the circumstances a person faces? Have you ever seen a person pray and get

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healed from an illness, and after being healed, go back into sin? How would you

compare their faith to someone that has had a chronic illness and yet has never wavered

his or her faithfulness to God?

SUMMARY

It does take faith to receive blessings from God in this life. Furthermore, it is true

that God has promised many things which pertain unto this life. Healing is a promise and

it does take faith to receive. Provision for life, “and that more abundantly,” does require

faith in God, but it is a faith which is motivated first and foremost by seeking the

Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Only when our eyes are on a better country, on

a greater city, and on a prepared mansion do we press ahead faithfully despite the

disappointments of life.

It is only by the type of faith which these men and women exhibit that we too

shall overcome. We each have a part in a grand plan of God. He is building His Church

from living stones like you and me. Our vision must look beyond ourselves as a stone

and get a view of the great and glorious habitation that God is building using people who

are faithful. Jesus told John:

12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he
shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the
name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out
of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name (Rev. 3:12,
KJV).

Later in his vision John saw that New Jerusalem:

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of
heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

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 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God
is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and
God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the
former things are passed away (Rev. 21:2-4, KJV).

This is our goal and it can only be achieved by faith and faithfulness to God.

Even if we should gain houses and land, if we should live in perfect health and have long

lives but miss out on our place in the New Jerusalem, then we have missed it all. Jesus

asked the question, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and

lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36, KJV)

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 CHAPTER EIGHT
Verses 17-19
Abraham: When Faith Is Tested

Heb 11:17-19 (KJV)

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received
the promises offered up his only begotten son,
18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence
also he received him in a figure.

Heb 11:17-19 (NLT)

17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing
him. Abraham, who had received God's promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son,
Isaac,
18 though God had promised him, "Isaac is the son through whom your descendants
will be counted."
19 Abraham assumed that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again.
And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.

INTRODUCTION

One of the most striking and heart rending examples of faith being tested is that of

Abraham being commanded by God to offer Isaac, the child of promise, as a burnt

offering unto the Lord. It is both tragic and inspiring. Even as we read the text thousands

of years after the event, we find ourselves empathizing with Abraham as he moves

methodically in obedience.

Not many parents could envision themselves following Abraham's lead. Not

many fathers could have made that trip. But then again, not many fathers in Scripture are

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called "the friend of God" (Jas. 2:23). The kind of obedience shown by Abraham is the

product of his fellowship with God, and his fellowship with God springs forth from an

intensely powerful faith in God; faith that could recognize the voice of God even if what

He said was contrary to reason; faith that would trust God, even if such trust might cost

great personal loss. Abraham's faith was tested and Abraham passed the test.

Let us go back to Genesis chapter 22 and read the account first hand:

1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said
unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and
get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon
one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two
of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the
burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told
him.
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and
the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his
son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them
together.
7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said,
Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is
the lamb for a burnt offering?
8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt
offering: so they went both of them together.
9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an
altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him
on the altar upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said,
Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto
him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy
son, thine only son from me.

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 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram
caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and
offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this
day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second
time,
16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast
done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as
the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy
seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast
obeyed my voice (Gen. 22:1-18, KJV).

FAITH WILL BE TESTED

One thing we can be sure of is that our faith will be tested. In Genesis 22:1 the

King James Version says God "did tempt" Abraham; however, the Hebrew word nacah,

is from a primitive root which means, more accurately, "to test, or to prove." Almost

every other translation states that God "tested" Abraham. (One noteworthy exception

being the American Standard Version which says God "proved" Abraham.)

Why would God "test" our faith? James said in his Epistle:

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking anything (Jas. 1:2-4, NIV).

Similarly, the Apostle Peter said:

12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as
though something strange were happening to you.
13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be
overjoyed when his glory is revealed (1 Pet 4:12-13, NIV).

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 The outcome of the testing of our faith, when we have remained faithful, is that

our faith grows stronger and we mature as believers. The paradox is that the trial is

painful, and yet we are called upon to "rejoice." Our rejoicing is not for what we may be

experiencing but we rejoice because we know that the outcome will be stronger faith and

a closer walk with God.

Recognize The Voice Of God

Based on the description given in Genesis, we see that the testing of our faith

begins by hearing and recognizing the voice of God. God said, "Abraham," and

immediately Abraham recognized God's voice, replying, "Here I am."

Too often what people call tests are really the result of listening to the wrong

voice. When we follow our own voice, or the many voices of the world which call us to

pursue things that are not of God, then we may indeed find ourselves in painful

circumstances. The pain we experience may be the chastising hand of the Lord, or the

painful outcome of wrong choices. This is not the same thing that Abraham experienced;

his was truly a test.

Follow The Plan Of God

After recognizing God's voice, Abraham heard and obeyed God's plan: "Take now

thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and

offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of”

(Gen. 22:2).

It is not enough to hear God, the positive outcome of testing will not be realized

until we are willing to obey God regardless of the pain or suffering it may cost us. In

fact, the Writer chides his readers for being on the brink of turning away from the faith

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when their testing had been relatively light up to this point. He says, "You have not yet

resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin" (Heb 12:4, NKJ).

Trust the Promises Of God

Abraham knew that Isaac was the child of promise. Abraham had another son,

Ishamael, with Hagar the handmaiden of Sarah. Though Ishmael was the eldest son he

was not the child of promise. God promised that a child would be born through Abraham

and Sarah, and Isaac was that child. God promised that through this son, through Isaac

the promise would be fulfilled. So, regardless of what else God may have required,

nothing would change the fact that Isaac was the son through whom Abraham's

descendants would be counted.

REFLECT: Has God ever asked you to do something that didn't seem to make sense at

the time? Did you obey? If you did, were you able to look back later and see what God

was doing? Was your faith stronger as a result? Will God ever ask us to do anything

that is clearly a contradiction of His Word?

FAITH TO TRIUMPH OVER THE TRIALS

Abraham stands as an example of a man whose faith withstood the ultimate test.

In our text the Writer tells us that "Abraham assumed that if Isaac died, God was able to

bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the

dead" (NLT).

When you read from Genesis the account of the journey and the moment at which

Abraham was prepared to offer the life of his son, the dramatic presentation is heart

stopping. The movement of events goes from a relatively rapid pace to a crawl. From

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the first time the Lord called Abraham's name, until the third day when they reached the

mountain, three days passed. Then from verse 5 of Genesis 22, where Abraham left his

servants behind and pressed on to the place where he would build an altar, until the

moment Isaac and Abraham reached the altar, time continues to slow down. Details are

lifted up which allow us to graphically visualize what is happening:

9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an
altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him
on the altar upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son
(Gen. 22:9,10. KJV).

There are words and descriptions in the text that remind us of the crucifixion of

Jesus. First is the reference to Isaac as "thine only son. . . whom thou lovest." This

reminiscent of John 3:16, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son."

Second, we see Isaac riding a donkey toward the mountain. In a similar fashion

we remember that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey while the people

waved palm branches and cried out, "Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of

the Lord" (Mark 11:9, KJV).

Third, there is the note that it was three days from the time of God's call until they

reached the place where Isaac would be offered. Jesus reversed this in that He did die

and from the time of His death until He came back to life was three days.

Last, Abraham prepared the wood but Isaac carried the wood to the place of the

altar. Again, this reminds us of Jesus carrying the cross through the Via Dolorosa.

Ultimately another man, Simon of Cyrene, would carry the cross to the top of Calvary,

but the sight of Jesus with the wood cross on His back and Isaac with the bundle of wood

on his back bear striking parallels.

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 As it turned out, Abraham would not have to give his son. At the last moment,

perhaps even as his hand and knife were on the way toward heart of Isaac, an angel spoke

and stopped Abraham. Again, it is important to be able to recognize the Word of the

Lord. It may come at the last moment and leave no room for error.

REFLECT: Have you ever heard from the Lord at the last moment? Have you ever

missed the Word of the Lord and made a mistake? Is it easier or harder for you to hear

and recognize the voice of the Lord when you are going through a trial?

FAITH REWAREDED

When Abraham was willing to give to God that which was most precious to him,

then God, in effect, gave it back. God said, "Now I see that you have not withheld your

son, your only son from me so I will bless you. I will multiply your seed as the stars of

heaven and the sands of the sea."

This is the law of reciprocity at work. Isaac was the only seed of promise which

Abraham had. When he gave this seed (his son) to God, God gave it back "pressed

down, shaken together and running over" (Luke 6:38). If Abraham had refused, if he had

tried to hold on to the one seed (Isaac), then he would have lost the harvest (millions of

offspring).

Notice another promise that God made to Abraham, He said, "thy seed shall

possess the gates of his enemies" (Gen. 22:17). This promise given to Abraham is the

promise given to the spiritual offspring of Abraham, the Church. Jesus said, "I will build

my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18).

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REFLECT: It is interesting that when Isaac asked about the sacrifice Abraham

responded with words of faith, "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt

offering." What did Abraham have in mind? The Writer of Hebrews tells us that

Abraham expected God to raise Isaac up from the dead. What would cause Abraham to

believe this?

God had indeed provided a ram for this occasion. There is a Jewish tradition that

God had placed this ram here at the time of creation and had preserved it here for this

very day. That may not be true, but what is true is that there was "a Lamb slain from the

foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8), and this is none other than Jesus Christ.

After offering the ram to the Lord Abraham called the name of that place

"Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen."

Jehovah-jireh means, "the Lord who provides." When we maintain our faith in God

during the testing` and trials of life we find that the He will provide. When tragic

circumstances come, God provides the grace to stand. As God told the Apostle Paul,

"My grace is sufficient" (2 Cor. 12:9). When we are sick, His stripes—the wounds of the

whip upon the back of Jesus—provide our healing (Isa. 53:5; 1 Pet. 2:24). When we

have material and financial needs, He knows that we have need of these things and He

provides (Matt. 6:32, 33).

Regardless of what we may be facing we have this promise from God:

13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is
faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when
you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under
it (1 Cor 10:13, NIV).

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SUMMARY

If the object of faith is to gain the heavenly reward, then nothing less should

sidetrack us. If hearing Him say, "Well done thy good and faithful servant, enter in . . ."

is our desire, then what sacrifice upon earth would be too great? Jesus asked, "What is a

man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man

give in exchange for his soul" (Matt. 16:26, KJV).

REFLECT: What is the greatest thing you have had to sacrifice since becoming a

Christian? How did you know that God wanted you to make this sacrifice? If you had to

arrange, in order of important, four or five of the most important things of your life (from

the most important down) what would that list look like?

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 CHAPTER NINE
Verse 20
Isaac: Faith Blessing the Future

Heb 11:20 (KJV)

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

Heb 11:20 (NIV)

20 It was by faith that Isaac blessed his two sons, Jacob and Esau. He had confidence
in what God was going to do in the future.

INTRODUCTION

There isn't much written about Isaac; however, it appears from the comments of

the Writer that Isaac had learned from his father Abraham how to trust God. No doubt

that day on the mountain taught him a lesson about the Jehovah-jireh. That's not the kind

of lesson you easily forget. Lying upon an altar, seeing his father the faith in God, had to

be both terrifying and inspiring. No doubt Isaac was forever grateful for the ram caught

in the thicket.

Isaac and Rebekah had two sons of their own. The twin sons, Jacob and Esau,

wrestled in the womb. When Rebekah inquired of the Lord why there was such activity

the Lord told her: "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will

be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the

younger" (Gen. 25:23, NIV).

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 Esau was born first, but with Jacob holding on to his heel. Esau was rugged from

birth, he was a man's man, an outdoorsman born to run and hunt. Jacob was a homeboy;

he was his mother's favorite just as Esau was his father's favorite. As the elder son, Esau

was to receive the birthright, or a double portion of the inheritance of his father.

Many of us grew up hearing the story of how Esau lost his birthright and how

Rebekah and Jacob connived to trick Isaac into giving Esau's blessing to Jacob. We

remember how Jacob went to his uncle Laban's home, got two wives, and returned to face

his brother. Then, in the wilderness alone and vexed in his spirit, Jacob wrestled with the

angel of the Lord. He held on until he received a blessing. In the process his name was

changed from Jacob, which means "deceiver," to Israel, which means "a prince with

God."

THE DECEPTION

Getting back to Isaac blessing Jacob, the Writer states, "by faith Isaac blessed

Jacob and Esau concerning things to come." When we go back and look at the context of

that blessing it begs the question, How could it be that Isaac was exercising faith when he

was fooled into giving the wrong blessings to the wrong son?

Remember that Esau had already surrendered his birthright for the pottage of

lentils. He was not tricked into doing this, he simply failed to place enough value on the

double portion inheritance. Esau was more concerned with meeting the immediate

hunger than in considering the long-term effects of a rash decision. But Esau was robbed

of the blessing that should have been his when Isaac blessed Jacob.

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 A blessing from a dying father meant a lot. In fact, the Writer lists three such

blessings together in verses 20 through 22. He talks of Isaac, Jacob and Joseph blessing

their sons from their deathbeds. Such blessings were not taken lightly. It was believed

that when a godly parent made such blessings his words were prophetic. The blessing,

then, was viewed not just as a dying parent’s wish for his children but as the voice of God

declaring the future of the children. Furthermore, it was believe that once these words

went out they could not be taken back, they could not be “unsaid.”

REFLECT: Have you (or someone you know) ever been by the bed of a dying parent

and had them tell you their desire was for you and your life? How did it affect you?

Have you ever told your children what your prayer for their future is? Do you plan to?

Rebekah and Jacob agreed to deceive Isaac. Isaac asked Esau to go out and kill a

deer for some venison. Rebekah heard the request and quickly prepared a dish of goat

meat. She told Jacob to put on his brother's clothes and then, since Esau was a hairy man

and Jacob was fair skinned, she wrapped Jacobs’s hands and neck with goatskins.

There is some powerful symbolism going on here. Jesus is our spiritual elder

brother and yet He became a curse for us and we are blessed in Him. It is only when we

are clothed in Christ that we can approach the Father and receive a blessing.

THE BLESSING

Her ploy worked. Jacob gave the meat to his father and asked for a blessing.

Isaac seems to have been suspicious at first, but after eating the meal, questioning Jacob

several times and feeling the hair on Jacob's hands and neck he was convinced and

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proceeded to bless the younger son. He declared that this was in fact a blessing from the

Lord:

28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth,
and plenty of corn and wine:
29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy
brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that
curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee" (Gen. 27:28, 29).

This was just as the Lord had told Rebekah, "the elder shall serve the younger."

Perhaps Isaac knew of the Lord's promise but because of favoritism had refused to

receive the Lord's word. Maybe Isaac had tried to change the inevitable, but in the end

God's word prevailed. The blessing of God which Isaac had planned to give Esau,

became the blessing of Jacob.

As Isaac finished the blessing, Esau returned and both he and Isaac discovered the

deception. Esau cried and begged his father for a blessing anyhow. But Isaac insisted

that the blessing that God had provided now belonged to Jacob. It seems that Isaac

recognized that even though the conditions by which the blessing had been given were

deceitful, God's sovereign hand was at work. Jacob was blessed and it would not be

reversed.

Still, Esua insisted, "Don't you have at least one blessing for me?" Isaac could

only speak what the Lord placed upon his lips. The blessing Esau received again echoed

the word of the Lord given to Rebekah:

39 Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of
heaven from above;
40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall
come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his
yoke from off thy neck" (Gen. 27:39, 40).

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 Obviously Esau was not very happy with the way things had turned out. In fact,

he hated Jacob because of it and determined to kill his brother. But when Rebekah found

out she sent Jacob to her brother Laban in Haran to find a wife and to retreat until Esau's

anger was assuaged.

Rebekah convinced Isaac to let Jacob go to Haran under the pretext of finding a

wife. Before leaving for his uncle's home Jacob was again blessed by Isaac:

1 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him,
Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
2 Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take
thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother.
3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that
thou mayest be a multitude of people;
4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that
thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto
Abraham (Gen. 28, KJV).

THE SECOND BLESSING

Here we see the faith of Isaac. He told Jacob that he would be a stranger in the

land, but that it was given to his grandfather and was therefore land promised to his

offspring. The promise given to Abraham was a birthright in and of itself. It was a

promise recieved in faith by Isaac and was passed on to Jacob. In blessing Jacob, Isaac

was blessing the future of his son. He declared fruitfulness, that is, a large family. He

declared prosperity and a multiplication of blessings. Jacob would go out as one man,

but would come back a man blessed in offspring (his twelve sons became the patriarchs

of the twelve tribes of Israel) and increased in goods.

REFLECT: More important than the inheritance of his father's promise, Jacob received

a word from God that could only be claimed by faith. One man on the run for his life

from his own brother might have lived with a sense of foreboding and despair, but Jacob

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was indeed blessed in many ways while with his uncle Laban. What does this story tell

you about the sovereignty of God? Do you have a sense of what God's sovereign will

for your life may be? Do you exercise the faith necessary to position yourself in a place

where God can bless you as he desires?

SUMMARY

Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau “by faith.” The blessing on Esau wasn’t as joyous

as that which Jacob received but it was still ‘by faith” because Isaac was speaking and

believing those things which the Lord placed upon his heart. We often view faith only in

terms of positive and pleasant things, but couldn’t faith also involve believing God even

when the promises are negative? Some might question whether or not there are negative

promises in the Bible. One has only to look at the curse upon humanity and upon the

earth as a result of sin. God told them what would happen as a result of their

disobedience. What God foretold was His Word, or His promise, that they would reap

the harvest of sorrow that they had sown in seeds of sin.

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 CHAPTER TEN
Verse 21
Jacob: Faith Finding Hope in the Face of Death

Heb 11:21 (KJV)

21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and
worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

Heb 11:21 (NLT)

21 It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph's
sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.

INTRODUCTION

In the face of death there is often a crisis of faith. For some death does not

diminish faith but brings faith closer to the promise and therefore stronger. For others,

what they have claimed to believe is tried in the fire at the prospect of death and some

find that what they were living their life by was nothing more than "hay, wood and

stubble" which burns quickly.

I was a young pastor in Junction City, Kansas when, after only a few months into

my appointment to the River of Life Church of God, one of the elderly men of the

congregation was diagnosed as having bone cancer. It had spread throughout his body

and doctors gave him only weeks to live. Our church prayed, I visited, anointed with oil,

and prayed the prayer of faith, but six weeks later he was dead. His wife asked me to

speak at the funeral. As I wrestled with the issue of faith, healing, death, and dying I was

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remembered of the words of the Apostle Paul: "We don't grieve like other people grieve

at the death of a loved one" (my paraphrase, 1 Thess. 4:13). Paul went on to explain

why, "For if we believe . . ." (v. 14). That's it! If we really believe, if our faith is

founded upon the truth that Jesus rose from the dead, then we can believe that He will

also raise us! That means life goes on after death.

I stood before the grieving friends and family gathered there that day and I asked

the question: "Did God fail this brother? Did God disappoint him by allowing him to die

even though we and he were praying for him to be healed?"

My answer, in light of my own revelation of faith in the face of death was:

Friends, if we were standing where our brother in Christ is standing today, we

would not hear him say, 'Lord you disappointed me.' Instead, we would hear him
say, 'Lord, it's more than I ever dreamed or imagined!' Death was not the end of
this believer's life, but the next chapter that begins with the words, 'Absent from
the body, and present with Christ.

THE TIME OF DEATH

Let's look at Jacob's faith in the face of death. Turning back to Genesis chapter
47:

29 And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and
said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy
hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray
thee, in Egypt:
30 But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury
me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.
31 And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed
himself upon the bed's head (Gen. 47:29-31, KJV).

It was the time that Israel (Jacob) would die, so he called in his son Joseph to give

some instructions. Notice the faith Jacob expressed in the face of death, "I will lie with

my fathers, and you will carry my body out of Egypt and bury me in the family

graveyard" (my paraphrase). Jacob had no intentions of being buried in Egypt. The only

land his father, Isaac, or grandfather, Abraham, ever owned was a burial cave, but at least

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it was in the land of promise. It was only a cave, but it was a promissory note on the

remainder.

I have attended funeral after funeral where the family wasn't sure whether or not

their loved one made a commitment to Christ before their death. Often the family hopes

this has happened, that their father or mother, sister or brother was "Born Again," but the

agony of not knowing can be avoided. If you have committed your life to Jesus Christ,

let your family know, don't leave them to grieve like others who have no hope. Let them

know that your faith has reached beyond the veil of death and has claimed the promise of

eternal life. Jacob's faith was still holding firmly to the land of promise.

REFLECT: What about you? If you were to pass away, would your family know

whether or not you have made a commitment to Christ? How would they know?

BLESSING THE NEXT GENERATION

Genesis 48 tells us that later, as death drew near, Jacob called for his sons and for

Joseph's two sons, to bless them. Jacob and Joseph both believed, as Isaac knew, that this

blessing was prophetic, that the words of these blessings represented the Word of God for

these lives.

1 {Jacob Blesses Manasseh and Ephraim--} One day not long after this, word
came to Joseph that his father was failing rapidly. So Joseph went to visit him,
and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2 When Jacob heard that Joseph had arrived, he gathered his strength and sat up
in bed to greet him.
3 Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of
Canaan and blessed me.
4 He said to me, 'I will make you a multitude of nations, and I will give this land
of Canaan to you and your descendants as an everlasting possession.'
5 Now I am adopting as my own sons these two boys of yours, Ephraim and
Manasseh, who were born here in the land of Egypt before I arrived. They will
inherit from me just as Reuben and Simeon will.

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 6 But the children born to you in the future will be your own. The land they
inherit will be within the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh ( Gen. 48:1-6,
NLT).

One of the shortcomings of the "hyper-faith" movement is that they still die.

After all the naming and claiming death still visits and takes the greatest of their leaders

and members from their ranks. In the face of reality they cannot claim that death will not

come so some believe they will die healthy. Like Moses or Caleb, they believe they can

die without strength or mind abated in any fashion. Here we have a great man of faith

and yet we read that his health was "failing rapidly" (NLT). With one last great effort he

gathered up what strength remained in his frail body and proceeded to bless his sons.

Jacob remembered the promise which the Lord had given him in the land of Luz.

Failing health and immanent death could not steal the promise from his heart. He

repeated the promise for posterity. He called in Ephraim and Manasseh and told Joseph

that his two sons (Jacob's grandsons) will be adopted by him and therefore become heirs

as though they were his very sons. Then Jacob spoke of things which were not, as though

they were: "They will inherit from me just as Reuben and Simeon will. But the children

born to you in the future will be your own. The land they inherit will be within the

territories of Ephraim and Manasseh" (vv. 5, 6).

What was there to inherit? Jacob, like his father Isaac and his grandfather

Abraham before him, never owned any land, just a tomb. Jacob passed the promise on

with a faith that burned the Word of the Lord onto the heart of a nation. Four hundred

years later several million Jews left Egypt and headed for that land of promise.

REFLECT: How can you bless your children and grandchildren? Is there something

more important than land or money which you can leave them? While our heirs cannot

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actually "inherit" our faith, is it possible to pass it on? If so what concrete steps can we

take to pass the promise to the next generation?

JACOB BLESSES EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH

Jacob noted that Ephraim and Manasseh were born in Egypt before he had

arrived. This would tend to indicate that these two sons were born and named before

Joseph had reestablished contact with his family. Note the names Joseph gave his two

first born sons. He named the first Manasseh, "For God hath made me forget all my toil"

(Gen. 41:51). The Hebrew word for toil ('amal) is variously translated, "sorrow, pain,

worry, travail and trouble." In naming his first son Manasseh, which means "forget,"

Joseph was declaring the healing hand of God upon His heart.

His second son he named, Ephraim, "For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the

land of my affliction" (Gen. 41:52). Joseph had maintained his faith through some

situations which would have crushed lessor men. His faith and trust in God took him

from the pit to the palace. It wasn't a straight shot (he had to go through the trials at

Potiphar's house and then the prison) but eventually Joseph sat in the seat before which

his own brothers would bow, just as God had promised in a series of dreams.

REFLECT: What is the most difficult trial that God has brought you through? Could you

see the hand of God at work while you were in the trial, or was it only later, as you

looked back that you could see where God's hand had guided and protected you?

We read further, in Genesis chapter 48, that Jacob placed his right hand, the hand

of honor, upon the younger, Ephraim. Joseph saw this and tried to move his father's

hand, but to no avail.

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 There is something of a twist of irony here. Isaac had given Jacob the elder Esau's

blessing. Isaac did not know that Jacob had used deception to gain the elder brother’s

blessing. But Jacob knew what he was doing as he blessed Ephraim and Manasseh in

reverse. Joseph assumed Jacob was making a mistake so he tried to switch Jacob's hands.

But Jacob said, "I know what I'm doing, my son. Manasseh, too, will become a great

people, but his younger brother will become even greater. His descendants will become a

multitude of nations!" (Gen. 48:19, NLT).

God has a way of using the foolish things to confound the wise, of taking weak

things and overthrowing the strong, and of giving the younger authority over the elder.

Consider, for example, Moses over Aaron, Jacob over Isaac, Joseph over his brothers

(though Benjamin was the youngest), Ephraim over Manasseh and David over all his

brothers. Why does God do this? So that no flesh may glory in His presence (see 1 Cor.

1:27-29). Faith is not a false assumption of the greatness of man, it is an honest

estimation of the awesomeness of God. Faith is believing that God can use us as yielded

vessels to accomplish His purposes. Contrary to what some assert, God may even use

poor people (by materialistic standards) to do things that the wealthy will not do.

REFLECT: Can God use you do great things for Him? If He can, then is He? If not,

why not? Can you think of a least one thing in your church that needs to be done but

isn’t getting done? Have you thought about volunteering to fill the need?

JACOB BLESSED THE REST

Jacob proceeded to bless the rest of his sons. He began by declaring again that

Joseph would return to the land of his ancestors. (We read that four hundred years later

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the bones of Joseph are transported by Moses and Israel back to Canaan.) Then Jacob

pronounced an "extra portion" (NLT) upon Joseph.

Jacob died and Joseph saw to it that his father's remains were taken back to the

cave where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah, Jacob's first wife, were

buried. He fulfilled the wishes of his father and later, he too would command his

children concerning his remains.

SUMMARY

The Writer tells us, further, that after blessing his sons and grandsons, Jacob

leaned upon his staff, and with death already seizing his body, he used his fleeting breath

to worship God. That's some pretty powerful faith! With the "death rattle" in his lungs,

with the last enemy coming for him, Jacob used his final moments to worship.

Jacob had gone from being a "deceiver" to becoming a great man of faith. God

had changed his name to Israel, which means, "a prince with God." Once faith is

germinated, takes root and begins to bear fruit, there is no limit to what God can do. He

can make leaders out of deceivers. He can pickup broken lives, put them back together,

and pour into them treasures from heaven. The greatest among us are nothing more than

"earthen vessels," but the treasure of the gospel, which God pours into us, can change the

world.

REFLECT: Do you think that you have the kind of faith that it will take to face death

triumphantly? The Apostle Paul did! He proclaims for us all in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57:

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall
have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is
written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

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55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ (KJV).

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 CHAPTER ELEVEN
Verse 22
Joseph: Faith Planning for the Future

Heb 11:22 (KJV)

22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of
Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.

Heb 11:22 (NLT)

22 And it was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, confidently spoke of
God's bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt. He was so sure of it that he commanded
them to carry his bones with them when they left!

INTRODUCTION

This reference to Joseph is the third of three references to a Patriarch’s faith

exemplified during the later stages of life, even in the face of death. Verse 20 tells of

Isaac, in his old age with eyes and health failing, blessing Jacob and Esau. Verse 21

refers to Jacob in his fleeting moments blessing his sons and then worshipping God even

as death was stealing his final breath. And now Joseph’s faith is lifted up and again it is

in the late moments of life, “when he was about to die.”

As we observed in the previous chapter, faith is often proven in the final moments

of life. For some, their faith proves futile because they have been trusting in the wrong

things. Men who make humanity their god are bound to be disappointed in the face of

death. But a faith placed in God finds its most meaningful moment at the very time the

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final breath is exhaled and the spirit of man is released to find its rest in the presence of

God. Job knew this very faith when he triumphantly declared:

26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see
God:
27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another;
though my reins be consumed within me (Job 19:26-2, KJV).

Though death looked immanent, Job knew the final breath was not the final

chapter. He looked forward to a resurrection and a beholding of the face of God. The

Apostle Paul knew a similar faith when he announced:

6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the
body, we are absent from the Lord:
7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to
be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:6-8, KJV).

When we place our trust in Christ we can plan and even prepare for a future

beyond this life. We can be laying up treasures in heaven now that we will receive when

our rewards are given (Matt. 6:19-21; 16:27; Luke 6:35; 1 Cor. 3:14).

The Writer lifts up Joseph’s faith because Joseph believed what his eyes would

never see in the flesh. He believed that Israel would leave Egypt. He believed that they

would inherit the Promised Land. And he believed that his bones would be returned to

the land that God had promised his great-grandfather, Abraham.

JOSEPH’S LIFE

Joseph’s entire life was an example of faith. He stands as one of the most sterling

examples of character and compassion in the entire Bible. Most of the people in

Scripture, even the heroes, are presented with their failures—Abraham’s lies, Isaac’s lie,

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Jacob’s deceitfulness, David’s adultery, Elisha’s depression, Peter’s denial, and so on.

But if Joseph ever experienced a moral failure it is not recorded.

In many ways Joseph’s life is a shadow, or a type, of the life and ministry of

Jesus. Consider the following comparisons and/or contrasts:

JOSEPH JESUS
1. Was betrayed by his brothers. 1. Was betrayed by a friend, Judas.

2. Was falsely accused and wrongly 2. Was falsely accused and wrongly
imprisoned crucified.

3. Was imprisoned with two of Pharaoh’s 3. Was crucified between two thieves.
servants

4. One of the servants remembered Joseph 4. One of the thieves recognized Jesus as
when he was released from prison. the Son of God and asked Jesus to
remember him.

5. Was promoted to a throne second only 5. Has been highly exalted and given a
to that of Pharaoh. name above every other name.

6. Becomes the salvation of his family. 6. Is the Savior of the world.

7. Joseph’s body was taken out of Egypt 7. Jesus was resurrected and is at the
and returned to the land of his father. Father’s right hand.

There are many more comparisons and contrasts that could be made, suffice it to

say that the life and character of Joseph prefigure that of Jesus. True faith in Jesus Christ

is manifest, not merely by words or memorization of creeds, but by a transformation. It

will result in the believer being “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind, that [we]

may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Rom. 12:2).

True faith doesn’t just change our mind, it will change our ways.

JOSEPH’S WORDS OF FAITH

Looking back to Genesis again, we read first hand of Joseph’s request:

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 24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and
bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac,
and to Jacob.
25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit
you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him,
and he was put in a coffin in Egypt (Gen. 50:24-26).

Notice once again, like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that Joseph never owned any

land in the Land of Promise, but he owned the Promise. Faith is the title deed on the

property. Joseph’s words are filled with faith. Pay close attention to his dying words to

his people: “God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which

he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”

There is not a hint of doubt in the words, “will surely.” In fact, these two words

could just as easily be translated, “without a doubt God will bring you out of this land.”

Egypt was a good place to be at that time. It had food while the other places had famine.

Joseph was second in command and Pharaoh showed the children of Israel favor. But

Joseph had never lost faith in the promise. God had promised the children of Abraham,

Isaac, and Jacob a land of their own.

REFLECT: Are you ever tempted to settle for less than the Word of God has promised
you? Can you give a specific example? Did you wait on the Lord or did you settle for
second best? What did you learn?

JOSEPH’S REQUEST

Joseph repeated his confidence that the Lord would visit Israel in Egypt and lead

them out. He did this when he told them that he wanted them to take his bones back to

the Promised Land when they came out of Egypt.

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 Shortly thereafter Joseph died and his body was embalmed after the manner of the

great Egyptian leaders and his body was placed in a coffin in Egypt. His body would lay

in Egypt for almost four hundred years while the Israelites waited for God to fulfill the

promise. No doubt many thought God had forgotten them.

Joseph’s life was ending as he spoke to his brethren and yet he was looking

toward the future. Faith never ends with what we see; faith reaches into the future and

brings future blessings into the present as though already exist. That is to say, joy and

peace can be experienced today because we believe the promise of God for the blessed

hope of the future.

REFLECT: Have you ever been tempted to think that God has forgotten a promise that

He’s made? How does that affect your faith? What do you do to “increase” your faith?

FAITH FINALLY DELIVERS

If we fast-forward through Scripture to a time about 400 years after Joseph’s

death, we see millions of Jews leaving Egypt, and as they leave they carry the embalmed

body of Joseph:

19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the
children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my
bones away hence with you (Exod. 13:19).

Almost 400 years had passed but the Jews had not forgotten the request of Joseph

or the promise of God. By leaving this challenge and the promise of God with his

children and brethren, Joseph was blessing the future. He had given them something to

hold on to for hundreds of years.

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 Almost two thousand years ago Jesus promised us that He is coming back. He

promised us that our bodies will not be left here on this earth, but that He would come

back and get us so that where He is, there we will be also (John 14:3).

Some have given up on that promise. In fact, there are even those who will mock

and scorn us when we claim to believe in the promise. Peter saw this in his own day.

Only thirty or forty years after the ascension of Jesus, Peter wrote:

3 First, I want to remind you that in the last days there will be scoffers who will
laugh at the truth and do every evil thing they desire.
4 This will be their argument: "Jesus promised to come back, did he? Then
where is he? Why, as far back as anyone can remember, everything has
remained exactly the same since the world was first created (2 Pet 3:3-4,
NLT).

10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the
heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will
disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to
judgment (2 Pet 3:10, NLT).

Like the children of Israel in Egypt, we are waiting for the Lord to come and

deliver us from a world of sin, from the effects of the curse, and even from death. Like

Israel we have the words of the One who rescued us as a promise from God. But unlike

Israel, we do not have a body to carry around. Our reminder is not a coffin with a

mummy but an empty tomb! Unlike other religious leaders whose tombs become

occasions for veneration and objectification, Christians have a promise which can only

be claimed and held by faith. We believe and because of our faith in the promises of

Jesus, He becomes the “blessed hope” for which we look (Titus 2:13).

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REFLECT: Have you ever been asked about the return of Jesus Christ? How do you

answer? How do we pass-on the promise to the next generation? Who planted the

seed of hope in your heart?

SUMMARY

The faith of Joseph resulted in the deliverance of his family from the forces of the

famine. His faith brought him up out of a pit, delivered him from the hand of Potiphar’s

wife, opened the doors of a prison, and placed him on the throne next to Pharaoh. Satan

meant evil for Joseph’s life, but God can work through the faith of His servants to

accomplish His purposes.

Not only did Joseph’s faith save his family, his faith also caused the ten

generations which followed him to believe that God was coming to bring them out of

Egypt and take them back to the Promised Land. Joseph never owned any land in

Canaan, but his faith was the evidence of things not seen.

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 CHAPTER TWELVE
Verse 23
Moses’ Parents: Fearless Faith Finds a Way

Heb 11:23 (KJV)

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because
they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.

Heb 11:23 (NLT)

23 It was by faith that Moses' parents hid him for three months. They saw that God
had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid of what the king might do.

INTRODUCTION

What is the most radical thing you've ever done by faith? When I was called into

ministry I believed God was directing my family and me to leave the Air Force and move

from Caribou, Maine to Cleveland, Tennessee to attend the Church of God seminary. I

had moved quickly up the enlisted ranks and the re-enlistment officer was at a loss as to

why I would want to leave a promising military career to go into a career field as

uncertain as ministry. Still, my wife, my son and I packed up our belongings and moved

over a thousand miles south to city where we had no job, no family and no friends. It

was very difficult at first, but four years later I graduated with Master of Divinity degree

and God has never failed me.

The people whose faith is being applauded in verse 23 are not mentioned by name

by the Writer—they are the parents of Moses.

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 Let's look at the text from Exodus chapter 1 verse 22 through chapter 2 verse 10:

22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Throw all the newborn
Israelite boys into the Nile River. But you may spare the baby girls."
2:1 {The Birth of Moses--} During this time, a man and woman from the tribe of
Levi got married.
2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw what a
beautiful baby he was and kept him hidden for three months.
3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got a little basket made of
papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the
basket and laid it among the reeds along the edge of the Nile River.
4 The baby's sister then stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen
to him.
5 Soon after this, one of Pharaoh's daughters came down to bathe in the river,
and her servant girls walked along the riverbank. When the princess saw the
little basket among the reeds, she told one of her servant girls to get it for her.
6 As the princess opened it, she found the baby boy. His helpless cries touched
her heart. "He must be one of the Hebrew children," she said.
7 Then the baby's sister approached the princess. "Should I go and find one of
the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" she asked.
8 "Yes, do!" the princess replied. So the girl rushed home and called the baby's
mother.
9 "Take this child home and nurse him for me," the princess told her. "I will pay
you for your help." So the baby's mother took her baby home and nursed him.
10 Later, when he was older, the child's mother brought him back to the princess,
who adopted him as her son. The princess named him Moses, for she said, "I
drew him out of the water" (NLT).

THE NAMES OF FAITH

The story is familiar to Christians and Jews alike and yet aside from the

comments of the writer of Hebrews one seldom reflects upon the faith of the parents of

Moses in this drama. They are introduced in Exodus simply as, "a man and woman from

the tribe of Levi," who got married (2:1). Their names are recorded in Exodus 6:18-20 as

Amram and Jochebed. Amram means “people exalted“ and Jochebed means, “Yahweh is

glory.”

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REFLECT: Who is the greatest man or woman of faith that you have known personally?

Is it a great television preacher or the pastor of "super" church? Or have there been

family members or local church members whose faith in God has served to inspire you?

What was it about their faith that makes them so memorable? Do you see these

characteristics in your own faith?

THE DASTERDLY DECREE

After settling in the land of Goshen, in the borders of Egypt, the Israelites

multiplied just as God had promised. Unfortunately there arose a Pharaoh in Egypt who

did not know Joseph and who felt no obligation to show favor to the Children of Israel.

In time these immigrants become slaves in the Egyptian Empire.

Almost 400 years passed from the time of Jacob's arrival in Egypt until Moses’

birth. This Pharaoh felt threatened by the growing population of Jews within his borders

so he made a decree that the Hebrew midwives (Shiphrah and Puah) who delivered the

babies of the Jewish women should kill the baby boys as they were born. They refused

and when Pharaoh inquired as to the reason the two women told him that the Hebrew

women were strong and were delivering their own babies before the midwives got there.

The households of these two women were blessed of God for their loyalty to their own

people and because they feared God more than man, even if that man was Pharaoh.

Because his first plan had failed, Pharaoh decreed that the baby boys should be

killed by throwing them into the Nile River. This too is a prototype of the birth of Christ.

When Jesus was born Herod the Great had heard that the Messiah had been born and

ordered that all the baby boys in Bethlehem, which were one-year-old and younger, were

to be killed. Like Moses, who was taken out of danger and into the protective custody of

the hierarchy of Egypt, Jesus' parents were warned by an angel to go down into Egypt

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until the danger had passed. After Herod the Great died, Jesus and his family return to

Nazareth. Matthew's Gospel gives us this record in chapter 2, and states that the event of

going into, and coming out of, Egypt was fulfilling prophecy concerning Messiah:

2 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son
(Matt 2:15, KJV).

THE DARING DECISION

Moses' parents loved their baby boy. He is described as "a proper child" in the

King James Version, "an unusual child" in the New Living Translation. In Exodus the

New Living Translation says that Moses was a "beautiful baby." Suffice it to say that

there was something special about this baby and it was more than the way he looked. It

seems Moses' parents received insight from the Spirit that this child was to be saved at all

costs.

I remember being a five-year-old boy in my grandmother's house, a couple of my

aunts were there, my mother and me. They were discussing how bad of a little boy I was.

They said I was spoiled and that if my mother didn't get control of me I would be

criminal. My mother had taken about all she could so she grabbed my hand and whisked

me up the stairs where we were living while my father was in Vietnam. As she made the

dramatic exit she said, "You just wait . . . he'll be somebody great someday!" I have

never forgotten my mother's words. Of course I'll never forget one of my aunt's retort,

she said, "Yea! The antichrist!"

Truth is, I went through years of rebellion and depression. But God's grace and

my mother's love motivated me to reach higher. I was the first of all my forty some first

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cousins to obtain a Bachelor's degree, and the first to achieve a Master's degree. To this

day I am motivated, in part, by the confidence my mother had in me.

Believing that Moses was special, his parents made a daring decision to refuse to

submit to the dastardly decree of Pharaoh. They tried to hide him for the first three

months of his life but when he got too big to keep hidden, Moses' mother made a small

waterproof basket out of reeds, which she collected by the Nile River. Then, in an act of

utter faith in God, she put the basket in the Nile River. The basket was in the river but

she was placing their baby in the hands of God. If it was discovered that she was

disobeying Pharaoh, both she and her entire household could have been killed. Faith like

Moses' parents displayed is fearless. The roar of the roaming lion doesn’t intimidate real

faith. Real faith fears God and not man.

REFLECT: Put yourself in the place of Moses' parents, what would you have done?

Imagine placing your baby in the crocodile infested waters of the Nile River, what would

you have been praying? Do you think that Moses' mother anticipated that Pharaoh's

daughter would find the baby? We live in a day when Satanic forces in the world are

trying to steal, kill or destroy our children, how can we respond to these forces? What

does it mean to put our children in God's hands?

DIVINE DELIVERANCE

God delivered Moses and in so doing was delivering the Hebrews from the hands

of Egypt. God's deliverance of Moses was a direct result of the faith of his parents who

had placed the baby in God's hands. They were participating in God's plan to bring the

Hebrews out of bondage.

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 Pharaoh's daughter was bathing in the Nile and saw the basket on the water.

When she saw the beautiful baby in the basket she decided to raise him as her own.

Divine deliverance was at work in the life of this child. It is amazing what God can do

when we have fearless faith in Him.

REFLECT: Is it possible to have faith and fear at the same time? Is it possible to have

faith and yet ask God to help you for a lack of fait? What about the man whose child

was possessed with a devil; he prayed, "Lord I believe, help thou mine unbelief" (Mark

9:24)? Jesus responded to his prayer by healing the child. How does this correspond to

your concept of faith?

I have seen parents and spouses make daring decisions with regard to parenting or

marriage. There have been times when I was amazed at the faith of these people and in a

way I admired them, but at the same time I thought they were making a mistake. In many

of these cases I have been surprised at how God worked things out. I've seen marriages,

which I was sure were over, restored when one spouse decided not to take the easy way

out, choosing instead to fight for his or her marriage. I've seen children that I thought

were on a downhill slide, turn around and come back to Christ, all because they had

parents with fearless faith and who put their child in the hands of God.

SUMMARY

The parents of Moses were people of great faith. They refused to bow to the will

of a despotic ruler, but instead, placed their faith in God. Because of their faith in God

they were willing to put their very lives on the line. God rewarded their faith and

delivered their nation through their child.

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REFLECT: What is the most daring thing you have ever done in faith? What was the

result? Did it increase or decrease your faith? Is there anything in your life which you

have not put into the hands of God? If we have really placed our most precious

treasures into the hands of God, will we still be anxious over them?

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 CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Verses 24-26
Moses: Faith Chooses the Right Way

Heb 11:24-26 (KJV)

24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of
Pharaoh's daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the
pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he
had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

Heb 11:24-26 (NLT)

24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be treated as the son of
Pharaoh's daughter.
25 He chose to share the oppression of God's people instead of enjoying the fleeting
pleasures of sin.
26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of the Messiah than to own the
treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the great reward that God would give
him.

INTRODUCTION

No personality in the Old Testament stands any taller or carries more weight than

Moses. In both Christian and Jewish traditions Moses was a man of mighty faith who

had a unique and intimate relationship with God. He was chosen by God to be His man

to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. Also, Moses was the man on the mountain to whom

God gave the Law, and Moses was privileged to see the afterglow of God in a way that

no other man ever saw.

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 Far from the confident and even cocky personality which is often depicted in the

popular media, Moses was not a man who sought to be a leader. He appears in Scripture

as somewhat reclusive, choosing to lead sheep in the mountain passes instead of

becoming a leader in Egypt. He was not a dignified (eloquent) speaker, but a man who

was "slow of speech and of a slow tongue" (Ex. 4:10). The Hebrew word translated

“slow” is kabed which means, among other things, "stupid." Yet, this is the man whom

God chose. As the Spirit would later tell Samuel, "Man looks at the outward appearance,

but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7, KJV).

The Writer tells us that it was "by faith" Moses chose to identify with the

Hebrews and thereby forfeit all his privileges as a member of the royal family of Egypt.

By faith Moses chose to do what was right and in so doing reversed the process by which

the Hebrews came into Egypt. Joseph was rejected by his brothers and sold into slavery.

From there he ascended into the palace of Egypt. Four hundred years later Moses chose

to leave the palace to identify with his enslaved brothers. Joseph saved his people by

bringing them to Egypt from Canaan during a great famine. Moses saved his people by

leading them out of Egypt and back to Canaan. God Himself said through His prophet

Isaiah, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your

ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isa. 55:9, KJV).

REFLECT: Have you ever given up rights and privileges in order to identify more

completely with Christ? If so, what did others around you think of your choice? If you

have never had to give up a position or privilege to identify with Christ and His Church,

do you think you would? How would (or did) you explain your choice to others?

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REFUSE

By faith we, like Moses can refuse. First, we can refuse to rationalize. Faith will

lead us to the right choices and faith in God will give us the courage to reject the wrong

and choose the right. It is easy to automatically assume that the things which are most

advantageous for us must be God's will. After all, we reason, "Every good gift and every

perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no

variableness, neither shadow of turning" (Jas. 1:17, KJV). "If it's good for me, then it

must be from God." But this form of reasoning is more a reflection of Western thinking

than a true reflection of God's will. In Eastern thought the community is as important,

and in some respects more important, than the individual. The question, then, is not,

"What is best for me?" But, "What is best?"

It is my experience that when I'm walking out of God's will it not because I

"accidentally" went astray, but with the Holy Spirit trying to guide me back to paths of

righteousness, I continued to walk my own way. "There is a way that seems right to a

man, but in the end it leads to death" (Prov. 14:12, NIV). Why do we do that? Why do

we run the red lights and crash through the roadblocks God puts in front of us to keep us

from going in the wrong direction? We rationalize, we talk ourselves into doing what

God is trying to talk us out of. The heart is indeed deceitful (Jer. 17:9).

Second, by faith we can refuse to run with the crowd. Moses had been brought up

in Pharaoh's household. Moses had been treated as and trained as a son of Pharaoh's

daughter. His friends and family from youth had been the powerful oppressors of the

people of God. There is no doubt that Moses had grown up in an atmosphere of

superiority and racial prejudice. But Moses refused to run with the crowd he had grown

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up with. There was a point of departure for him. There came a time to break from the

familiar and to start on a new journey, a journey of faith.

Interestingly, for Jews today to become converted to Christianity means that they

will be virtually disowned by their family. It is an act of faith to be willing to make a

break with the familiar ways of life to go in new directions with Christ. It may cost us a

job, it may cost us our friends, and in some cases, our family, but nothing and nobody on

earth is worth our soul.

Finally, by faith we can refuse to settle for second best. Being a son of Pharaoh’s

daughter must have been one of the top three positions in the entire world at that time.

Egypt was a world empire, and Pharaoh was the leader. It was only one step for Moses to

get to the top. But being a son of Pharaoh's daughter does not compare to being a son of

God.

Moses' faith in the true God was what allowed him to refuse to settle for second

best. It is easy to settle in and say, "Hey this isn't half bad! Why rock to boat? I'll just

stay right here and enjoy my life like it is." But regardless of our station or status in life,

if we have not been Born Again, we are settling for second best or worse.

REFLECT: Is it always easy for you to decide that God’s ways are the best ways? Are
there times when a compromise might make your life easier? How do you remain
faithful to God when the easiest way would be to accept the compromise which the world
offers?

CHOOSE

It is not enough just to refuse, Moses shows us that we have to choose.

Somewhere along the way Moses was made aware of his real nationality. Perhaps it was

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his own mother, who served as his nursemaid for several years, who told him. Maybe he

heard rumors from among the Hebrews. Or maybe Pharaoh's daughter told him the story

of where she found him. Regardless of where he heard the truth, Moses had to choose

whom he would serve. Would he identify with the Egyptians and accept their many

gods, or would he identify with the Hebrews and accept the God of Abraham, Isaac, and

Jacob? Would he pay homage to idols or worship the One God Who had no equal and of

Whom no idols existed? By faith, Moses chose to identify with the suffering slaves of

Egypt.

There was something very powerful about Moses' choice. He was choosing

affliction over privilege. He was choosing to refuse to give in to the pull of the flesh to

go on living a lifestyle that would give him pleasures of sin for a season.

This verse affirms that there are pleasures in sin. Carnal desires are satisfied and

immediate gratification is realized in sin. But this verse also contains the caveat that

these sins are but "for a season." The time of pleasure is limited and at the end of that

season the payback is hell.

To the natural man it made no sense at all. Who would chose oppression over

opportunities for privilege and prestige? It takes faith. Moses made the choice to do

what was right and later as he lead the people through the desert, he expected the people

to make this choice as well. When he came down from Mount Sinai with the tablets of

stone containing the Ten Commandments, he saw them dancing before an idol carved to

look like a golden calf, an idol of Egypt. In his outrage he threw down the tablets, which

broke, and proceeded to purge the camp of these rebellious people. I can imagine Moses

at the gate of camp and I can see him with his beard blowing in the hot desert wind. With

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a rod in his hand he draws a line in sand and cries out, "Who is on the LORD's side? let

him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him" (Ex.

32:26, KJV). It was time to make a choice.

REFLECT: What is the single best choice you have made in your life up to this point?
Why is it the best? Did this choice cost you anything?

Moses' protégé, Joshua, must have learned something that day. Years later, after

settling into the Promised Land, Joshua would call the people together and challenge

them to choose the Lord:

15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye
will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other
side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as
for me and my house, we will serve the LORD (Josh. 24:15, KJV).

Every day is a walk of faith for the Christian, and every day we must choose to

walk with God. When we receive salvation we are choosing to respond to God's tug on

our heart. He comes looking for us but we must choose to respond. After that we live

every day walking a narrow road that has markers, has roadblocks, and warning signs but

it has no fences, no walls and no guards. We cannot accidentally wander off the walk of

faith, but we can choose to ignore the warnings and walk away from God.

By faith we can choose to do what is right. By faith we can walk the right way

and "run with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1). By faith we can escape

the pull of the flesh and the desire to continue in the season of sin. By faith we can allow

the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ to wash away every trace of the man or woman we

used to be. No longer the children of the devil (John 8:44), we can walk in triumph as the

sons and daughters of God (2 Cor. 6:18).

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REFLECT: Are you a decisive person, or an indecisive person? If you are a decisive

person, have you ever suffered as a result of making a decision too quickly? If you are

indecisive, have you ever missed an opportunity because you did not move quickly

enough? How does your faith help you to make the right decision, even the difficult

ones?

There is a mantra in the business world which says, "To fail to plan, is to plan to

fail." Similarly, "To refuse to choose God, is to choose to refuse God." But Jesus calls

us to make this choice, He calls out to the world:

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matt. 11:28-30, KJV).

There is no middle ground, real faith is bold and brave and willing to choose

sides. There is, of course, this great mystery at work in the grand plan of God. God had

chosen Moses, and yet it is also Moses who chose God. We are called and chosen of God

yet we still must choose Him. Foreknowledge and free will engaged in that eternal dance

which falls into the realm known as the sovereignty of God.

NOTHING TO LOSE

Many people refuse to yield to the pull of the Holy Spirit on their heart because

Satan has convinced them that they will have to give up too much. If only we could get it

into every sinner’s heart that there is nothing to lose in being a Christian we would see

more people come to Christ. By faith we understand that paltry prizes of this world are

not worthy to be compared to the riches of heaven which await the child of God. By faith

we are able to look beyond the immediate gratification of pleasures of sin for a season

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and see that eternity hold either eternal life for the child of God, or eternal punishment for

those who refuse to choose grace.

Jesus asked the question, "What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole

world, and lose his own soul?" (Matt. 16:26). In short, there is nothing in the world to

compare with what awaits the child of God. Jesus described the kingdom of heaven in a

way which illustrates this point:

44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which
when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all
that he hath, and buyeth that field.
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly
pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he
had, and bought it (Matt 13:44-46, KJV).

When we understand the value of the kingdom of God then we know that if we

give everything we are, and everything we have, we still have not lost a thing. There is

nothing to loose in being a child of God, and yet, at the same time it costs us everything.

A rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked what he must do to inherit eternal life.

Jesus said, "Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell

everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then

come, follow me" (Mark 10:21, NIV).

That sounds like a paradox but it’s really not. To trade a penny for a gold mine is

not to lose a penny, it is to gain a gold mine. To give up the pleasures of sin for an

eternity in the presence of God is not losing pleasure but gaining an eternity of abundant

life.

REFLECT: Looking back over your life as a child of God, would you say that you have
gained more than you’ve lost? When you witness to others do you tend to emphasize

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the cost of following Christ or the benefits? What are the benefits of serving Christ with
regard to: Finances? Marriage? Parenting?

SUMMARY

By faith Moses had to refuse, choose, and know that there was nothing to loose.

It takes faith to do these things. Faith understands that which does not make sense to the

world. Faith trades the temporal for the eternal. By faith we can choose the right way

every time we face a fork in the road.

Often we are confronted with a myriad of choices and we can find ourselves

agonizing of which choice is the right choice. It takes faith to make the right choice

when there is an easier way to go. It takes faith to choose not to take a higher paying job

because it would mean that we would have to work on Sundays. It takes faith to choose

to pay our tithes and offerings when we know that there are other financial demands

tugging on our checking account. It takes faith, and thankfully, God gives both the grace

and faith to make the hard choices that we face.

REFLECT: Put yourself in Moses’ place; wouldn’t it have been easy to rationalize the

situation and to conclude that you could do more from the palace of the Pharaoh than

from the fields with the sheep? What do you think would have happened if Moses had

not chosen to identify with his people?

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 CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Verse 27
Moses: Faith Forsakes the Wrong Way

Heb 11:27 (KJV)

27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as
seeing him who is invisible.

Heb 11:27 (NLT)

27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt. He was not afraid of the king.
Moses kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.

INTRODUCTION

It takes faith to forsake the wrong, to turn aside from temptations and press ahead

fearlessly. By having a firm and healthy hold on that which is right we are more prepared

to refuse to reach for the wrong. Faith, then, is as much the acceptance and trust in a

body of doctrine as it is an act of believing. When Jude exhorts us to "earnestly contend

for the faith which was once delivered to the saints" (Jude 3) he was referring to the

"doctrine" or teaching of Jesus, which amazed those who heard it ( Matt. 22:33).

Objective faith is also tied to the "apostles' doctrine" (Ac. 2:42) which contains, but is not

limited to, the "gospel of Christ" (Rom. 1:16).

This is, as mentioned above, what is known as objective faith, a body of teaching

originating from Old Testament Scripture, fulfilled and refined in Christ's life, works and

words, and expanded in the Epistles and teachings of the Apostles. When faced with

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wrong choices we have "sound doctrine" by which we can measure the appropriateness or

inappropriateness of an action. If it runs contrary to what the Word teaches then we can

make the right choice by virtue both of the faith by which we believe, as well as the faith

in which we believe.

I’ve had people come to me and say, “Pastor, we don’t want ‘doctrine’ we just

want to worship and serve God.” I’m always confounded by this declaration. What god

do they intend to worship? What makes them think God wants their worship? How

should they worship? What constitutes acceptable worship and service?

This is what the teachings, or doctrines, of Scripture tell us. These teachings are

“the sound doctrine” for which we earnestly contend. Our ability to do what is right is

based, in part, on our knowledge of right and wrong.

Is it wrong to worship an idol? The teaching of Scripture tells us that it is wrong.

Many of the martyrs of early church were put to death because the faith in which they

believed said it would be wrong to offer sacrifices to the idols and gods of Rome.

People who denigrate doctrine are in peril of being so open-minded that their

brains fall out. Faith is knowing what and Whom you believe in even if it challenges

empirical proofs. The old maxim that they who believe in nothing will fall for anything

is true. People who have not learned and received sound doctrine are susceptible to false

doctrine—“doctrines of devils” (1 Tim. 4:1) and “old wives’ fables” (1 Tim. 4:7).

FAITH TO FORSAKE

We are told that "by faith Moses forsook Egypt." Somewhere, someone informed

Moses of the true God. As noted above, it may well have been his own mother who

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nursed him during the early years of his life, but whatever the source, Moses knew he

was a Jew and he believed in the God who had no idol in Egypt. Because of what he

believed, and because of Whom he believed in, Moses chose not to identify with or

become bound to Egypt.

Paul told the young bishop Timothy that there are times to "fight the good fight of

faith" (1 Tim. 6:12), and there are times to "flee also youthful lusts" (2 Tim. 2:22). There

are things to put down, things to lay aside, things to put away and things to avoid.

Knowing the truth sets us free to know what is wrong and to forsake it. Knowing the

truth is not just the power to be free, but also the power to stay free from sin. It is a

combination of what we believe and how much we believe it that empowers us to act.

When that which we believe is right and we believe enough to base our life upon it, then

we are able to choose wisely.

Jesus said, "If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"

(Matt 6:23, NIV). If your revelation is wrong, if it is darkness, then everything you do,

think, and say is infected with that darkness.

To be sure, subjective faith, that which is within a man which enables him to hold

on to the truth he has received, is necessary as well. Moses was able to forsake Egypt

and all the benefits he could have enjoyed because he believed in God. Perhaps he

believed God would provide better or perhaps he believed God would deliver Israel. Or,

it may be that Moses did not have a clue what God would do, it may simply be that

Moses knew what was right so he did what was right and left the outcome in the hands of

God.

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 If we truly have faith we should be able to make the correct decision even if it

costs us our life. John the Baptist spoke the truth to Herod and it cost John his life. Did

John have faith? I would say that he certainly did. Great faith, however, is no guarantee

that doing the right thing will end in riches. It takes faith to do what is right regardless of

the cost. Refusing to lie for your boss may cost you your job, but your faith, if it is real,

will not allow for other options. Job or no job, Egypt or no Egypt, palace or poverty,

mountain or valley, faith in God and in His Word will empower us to do right.

REFLECT: Do you know what you believe in? Would you be more likely to choose a

church because its teachings are in line with Scripture, or because it has more programs

and ministries to offer? Which do you think is more important, for a church to do good

things, or to teach the right things? Have you ever had to forsake some things that

others enjoy because it was contrary to what Scriptures teach? Was it worth it?

FAITH OVER FEAR

Moses chose to do right because he was not afraid of what the king might do. The

king might very well have had Moses killed, but if faith is worth living for, it is worth

dying for. The early martyrs of the church found that faith does not always guarantee

deliverance from man's wrath, indeed real faith may cost us our life. But true faith in

God will result in a reverence of God which is so strong that we will not fear what man

can do (Ps. 56:11; Matt. 10:28).

Many slaveholders in the United States were very committed to their churches

and yet participated in the sale and abuse of people who were created in the image and

likeness of God. Likewise, during Nazi control of Germany many of the Christian

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leaders in the country were silent to the atrocities that were going on around them. Many

looked the other way while the wholesale slaughter of millions of Jews occurred under

their noses. There were some, however, who raised their voices. In the United States it

was the Christian conscience which finally fought to end slavery and good men died for

what was right. In Germany there were some clergy who were willing lay down their

lives for their faith. Deitrich Bonhoffer wrote The Cost of Discipleship as a treatise on so

called Christians who did not have the courage to lay down their lives for the truth.

Bonhoffer himself would ultimately be killed because of what he taught. These were

people who, in his words, wanted “cheap grace,” they wanted Christianity without a cost

or a cross to bear.

Faith makes brave men out of cowards and spiritual warriors out of little women.

Some of the greatest examples of faith I know never owned much, never wanted much

except to love God, and lived what they believed through the highs and lows of life.

Some of the greatest preachers and pastors I know have never seen as much as one

hundred in attendance on a Sunday morning. Many have had to work a second job and

have never known what it was to have another person on staff to help share the load of

pastoral ministry. Still, with little recognition or reward from the denominational

hierarchy, they dedicate babies, marry couples, counsel troubled marriages, and bury the

dead. These are my heroes.

I was in Cleveland, Tennessee trying to attend seminary but finding it difficult to

afford more than one or two classes a semester. While in the Air Force I worked as a

surgery technician and went to night school taking a heavy load of classes in the

biological sciences (I had thought about becoming a medical doctor). So when I went to

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Cleveland I looked into the nursing program at the local community college. I found that

I had already completed all the required courses except the core nursing classes. I

applied and was accepted to the nursing program. Unfortunately, the company I was

working at canceled its third shift and my schedule would not allow me to finish the

nursing program. I was convinced that I would have to be a bi-vocational pastor and I

was fine with that, only I wanted to become a Registered Nurse so that I would be able to

find work anywhere and would get sufficient pay to care for my family.

One night as I worked at the sheet-metal press of the stove company I worked at, I

prayed. I was complaining to God about the shift change and fretting about what I was

going to do now. How could I pastor if I couldn't pay my own way? How would I ever

finish seminary? How would I take care of my family? But as I was silently asking these

things God interrupted my little pity party with one question: "Don't you think I can take

care of you?"

It wasn't an audible voice but it was clear and loudly spoken to my mind and

heart. I paused to consider the question. It was not a question that I could ignore and the

answer I gave would reflect either faith or a failure to trust God. I bowed my head with

tears and said, "Yes, Lord. I believe you can take care of me."

I've never been wealthy but I can testify that God has taken care of my family and

me. Satan did his best to scare and intimidate me. He tried to convince me that if I

followed God's will I would fail. Later that year I was granted a loan from the school and

the next two years I attended on a scholastic scholarship. Recently my wife and I

purchased a home. Even though it isn't opulent, it is the nicest home I have ever lived in.

God has taken care of me and I know He will never fail.

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REFLECT: Have you ever been too scared to do what God was calling you to do? Why

were you afraid? Did you ever overcome that fear? If so, how? Faith can conquer fear,

but only when we are willing to place complete trust in God. If our complete trust is not

in God, then who are we trusting? Jeremiah cautions:

5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and
maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when
good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a
salt land and not inhabited.
7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the
LORD is.
8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out
her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf
shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall
cease from yielding fruit (Jer. 17:5-8, KJV).

Look at verse 8, it reflects a man or woman of faith. He or she is not "careful in the year

of drought," that is, he is not afraid, sorrowful or intimidated, and he continues to yield

fruit. Can you receive that promise?

FAITH ENDURES

Not only does faith forsake the wrong and stand fearless in the face of the enemy,

faith endures. That simply means it doesn't give up, it is strong and steadfast. The Greek

root word behind the English word translated "endure" is kratos, which literally means

"great vigor." Kratos is translated, variously as, “dominion,” “might,” “power,” and

“strength” in the King James Version. Faith is not fearful, it allows the believer to press

on in power despite the apparent obstacles. It often takes a little time before our faith

rises to the level of the challenge. Our initial response to the trials and temptations of life

may not be courage, yet somewhere between the initial fear and triumph of faith we hear

Him say, "Be not afraid, it is I!" And with that calming voice our faith comes to rest

upon the One Who cares for us.

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 The Writer is telling us something about the character of Moses here. Once he

believed and made up his mind to forsake the wrong, Moses never looked back. It took

some convincing by God to get Moses to accept the role of leadership because Moses’

initial response was self-doubt. After accepting the call of God, however, Moses moved

with vigor and power as the chosen vessel of God. The Israelites looked back to the

fleshpots of slavery, but Moses never looked back to the palaces of Pharaoh!

REFLECT: Have you ever felt that calming hand of God come upon you when what you

were seeing on the horizon of your life caused fear? Have you ever experienced an

initial time lapse between fear and faith in the face of a crisis? How was God able to get

your attention and "help your unbelief"? Was it through a passage of Scripture, through

prayer, through a sermon, a song, or something else?

FAITH SEES WHAT CANNOT BE SEEN

God is described here as being, "invisible." The Apostle Paul also used the word

“invisible” to describe God. In Colossians Paul declared that Jesus ". . . is the image of

the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature" (Col. 1:15, KJV). And in a doxology

Paul described God as ". . . the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be

honour and glory for ever and ever" (1 Tim 1:17, KJV).

In addition, Paul told Timothy that God is immortal, "dwelling in the light which

no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see" (1 Tim. 6:16). Yet,

Moses is described as a man who saw "Him who is invisible." How can that be? By

faith.

We know that Moses was allowed to get very close to God. So close in fact, that

when it came time for Moses to die, God personally handled the funeral arrangements.

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On Mount Sinai Moses received the Law from God. Though mediated through angels

(Heb. 2:2), it was written by the hand of God and given to Moses. Moses spoke to God

and was even allowed to see the "afterglow" of His glory. But this doesn't appear to be

what the Writer is referring to here.

By faith Moses saw what cannot be seen because “faith is . . . the evidence of

things not seen." The Writer is referring to what Moses was able to see through eyes of

faith, namely, the power of God, the Oneness of God, the uniqueness and love of God for

His people. The physical eyes of all who dwelt in Egypt could look upon the idols of the

false gods, but only eyes of faith could see the true God for whom no idol exists. The

closest we are allowed to come to seeing the fullness of God is in looking at His Son.

Jesus is the express image of the Father. Jesus told Philip, ". . . he that hath seen me hath

seen the Father" (John 14:9). Paul tells us that "in him (Jesus) dwelleth all the fullness of

the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9).

SUMMARY

Moses was a man of faith who forsook the wrong way, overcame fear, moved

with vigor, and saw what others could not see. This is faith. Again, it has less to do with

wealth and health and more to do with trust and obedience. In fact, people of true faith

are willing to sacrifice, to forsake the riches of the world, if need be, to claim the

treasures of heaven.

Compromising one’s integrity may gain gold in this life but brings about spiritual

bankruptcy. There are many things that are more important than wealth or health.

Faithfulness to God is at the top of that list.

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 CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Verse 28
Moses: Passover Faith

Heb 11:28 (KJV)

28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that
destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

Heb 11:28 (NLT)

28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover
and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their
firstborn sons.

INTRODUCTION

As Christians we generally associate Passover with the Lord's Supper (also called

the Eucharist, or Communion). It is true that Jesus, on the night He was to be betrayed,

would observe Passover and fill it with new meaning. Looking back at the first Passover

in Egypt, however, we find that it was designed by God to point to Christ.

After leaving Egypt, after choosing the right and refusing the wrong, Moses spent

forty years in the desert where he lead the life of a shepherd. This too was part of the

training of Moses by God to become a leader who could keep a flock together and to lead

them in the right direction. It was while watching his father-in-law's sheep that God

spoke to Moses from a bush that was ablaze but was not consumed.

4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him
from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."

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 5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the
place where you are standing is holy ground."
6 Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face,
because he was afraid to look at God (Exod. 3:4-6, NIV).

Throughout the whole exchange between God and Moses the reader can detect

genuine meekness and humility on the part of Moses. He was not seeking this position,

he was content just to be with his family and take care of his father-in-law's sheep. When

God told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let His people, the Israelites, go, Moses replied, "Who

am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out

of Egypt?" (Exod. 3:11, KJV).

God chose Moses and God made Moses to become a great man. God's answer to

Moses' question was, "Certainly, I will be with thee" (v. 12). Aside from Jesus Christ, it

is doubtful that the life of any other single man made as much of an impact upon world

history as Moses. Not because Moses was brought up in the Pharaoh's palace, but

because the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was with him.

When Moses reminded God that he was not an eloquent speaker, God told Moses
to take his brother Aaron with him and Aaron would speak for Moses, who was speaking
for God.
As we know, Moses obeyed and Pharaoh disobeyed. The result was a series of
plagues after which Pharaoh hardened his heart (Ex. 8:15, 32; 9:34). After repeatedly
hardening his own heart, we are told that God hardened Pharaoh's heart (Ex. 10:1, 20,
27). At this point Pharaoh's fate was sealed. After the last plague, that of three days of
thick darkness, the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart one last time. After this last refusal to
let God's people go, God told Moses that there was one last plague, the firstborn son of
every human and every animal would die:

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 4 And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out
into the midst of Egypt:
5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of
Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the
maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
6 And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as
there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.
7 But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his
tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD
doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel (Ex. 11:3-7,
KJV).

The fact that it is the first born sons who would die is significant. Jesus is the

"only begotten Son" of God (John 3:16). As the "only begotten" Jesus is also the

firstborn. In other words, if a man had only one son that night, and if the blood had not

been applied to his doorposts, then that son would die. God gave His Son as our sacrifice

so that we could leave the spiritual Egypt of sin.

THE PASSOVER

God gave Moses instructions for the preservation of the life of Israelite sons:

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first
month of the year to you.
3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of
this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the
house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour
next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every
man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take
it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the
whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on
the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened
bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

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9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head
with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which
remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet,
and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD's
passover.
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the
firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods
of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are:
and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be
upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast
to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an
ordinance for ever.
15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put
away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread
from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from
Israel.
16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh
day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be
done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done
of you.
17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame
day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye
observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat
unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.
19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever
eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the
congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.
20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat
unleavened bread.
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw
out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.
22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the
bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in
the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the
morning.
23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he
seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will
pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your
houses to smite you.

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 24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for
ever.
25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will
give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service (Ex. 12:1-25,
KJV).

Our text tells us that "By faith he [Moses] kept the passover." Something, which

has already been stressed in this study, is that faith and obedience walk hand in hand.

God gave Moses the instructions and Moses saw that they were carried out. Faith and

trust, therefore, are two sides of the same coin.

Moses told the Israelites to borrow "jewels of silver and jewels of gold" (11:2).

This was a sign that marching time was on the way. These riches which the Jews

received from the Egyptians were, in effect, the spoils of war. We are told that the

Egyptians were glad to give them. In fact, the Egyptian people had been ready for some

time to let these Israelites go. The greatest nation on the face of the earth at that time was

a defeated nation. They were defeated by the God of the people they had been calling

slaves for some four hundred years.

Moses told the people to take these things because the battle was the Lord's and

the Lord had won. To the Victor, and to His people, go the spoils!

REFLECT: If Jesus was victorious over Satan, sin and death, what are the spoils for the

child of God? When we come marching out of our spiritual Egypt what should we be

bringing with us? Sometimes it appears that people who come out of the "pleasures of

sin for a season" have left their joy behind. Being a Christian should not be a life without

pleasures, but as the Psalmist said, with God the pleasures are not just for a season: "in

thy presence there is fullness of joy, at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore."

(16:11).

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THE SPRINKLING OF THE BLOOD

The Writer tells us that by faith Moses "kept the passover" and by faith Moses

sprinkled the blood. That is to say, he did as God commanded by instructing the people

to take a hyssop and apply the blood to the door frames of their homes. They were to

strike the two sides and the top. By doing this the agent of death would be prevented

from entering their homes and killing the firstborn sons in these homes.

The blood was to come from the lamb of a sheep or a goat. This lamb was chosen

on the tenth day of the first month of spring, Abib (Nisan) and kept until the fourteenth

day. On the fourteenth day, at twilight, the lamb was killed and the blood was collected

at the threshold. [The word translated “bason” in the King James Version is from a word

which can refer to the trench dug in front of the door of these homes.] The lamb was to

be a male lamb not more than one year old. It was to be a lamb "without blemish," that

is, without any defects or disease of any sort. This lamb was to be killed, roasted, and

eaten during the evening of the Passover. They were to eat all of the meat and the

entrails, none of it was to remain until morning. If the family was too small to consume

one lamb, then they were to join with another family.

They were to observe this feast with their clothes and their shoes on. They were

to have their bags packed because God knew that in the morning, with millions of

Egyptians looking into the dead faces of their firstborn sons, Israel would be allowed to

leave. But they had to be ready to move before Pharaoh could change his mind, or the

people could take up hostilities against the Jews.

God also told the Israelites to change their calendars and to mark the month of

Passover as the first month of the year. This was a new beginning for His people, a day

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of liberation from the cruel whips of slavery. They were coming out of Egypt as a free

people, as a people whose God had delivered them and made them victorious.

As God promised, those whose doorposts were sprinkled with blood were spared

the cruel fate of those who homes were not covered by the blood. The idea of covering

stands behind the Hebrew word translated "passover":

The verb "pass over" has a deeper meaning here than the idea of stepping or
leaping over something to avoid contact. It is not the common Hebrew verb,
a-bhar, or ga-bhar, which is frequently used in that sense. The word used here
is pasah, from which comes the noun pesah, which is translated "Passover."
These words have no connection with any other Hebrew word, but they do
resemble the Egyptian word pesh, which means "to spread wings over" in order
to protect.1

There is a sense in which the blood became an umbrella of grace over the

Israelites covering them from the rain of God's wrath upon a hardhearted and rebellious

Pharaoh and the nation he led.

The Writer is not ignorant of the connection between the Passover Lamb and

Jesus who is "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29, 36). The Apostle John would recognize

Jesus as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8). The Apostle

Paul calls Jesus, "Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" (1 Cor. 5:7). In addition, the

Lamb before the throne of God becomes the salvation of the believer for He alone was

worthy to take the scroll and to loose the seals and thus unfurl the plan of God that brings

to a close the reign of sin upon the earth (Rev. 5-8).

REFLECT: In what ways does Jesus fulfill the requirements of the Passover Lamb?
How do believers obtain the benefits of the blood that Jesus shed? What is the fate of
1
Ceil and Moishe Rosen, Christ In The Passover, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1978),
p. 22.

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those who do not have their lives "covered by the blood"? In light of the promise that the
Church has not been "appointed . . . to wrath" (1 Thess. 5:9), does the idea of covering
and protection by the blood of Christ have any eschatological significance for the
believer? Explain.

A PERPETUAL FEAST

God told Moses that this was not a one time feast, this was to become a memorial

for all generations of Jews to follow. By making it a perpetual feast each generation was

reminded of their deliverance from Egypt by the outstretched arm of God. The Passover

meal became a time for celebrating the salvation of the Lord.

It is no accident that Jesus observed the Passover meal with his disciples on the

night prior to His death. There is some difficulty in harmonizing the Synoptic Gospels

and John on the issue of when the Passover was held. The Synoptic Gospels indicate that

Jesus observed the Passover meal on the night of the "Lord's Supper" (Matt. 26:17; Mark

14:12; Lk. 22:15). In this respect, then, Jesus used the unleavened bread and the cup of

the fruit of the vine to represent His body and His blood that was to be given for the sins

of the world. John's Gospel, however, indicates that Jesus actually died on the cross at

the precise time that Passover Lambs were to be killed at the temple (John 18:28; 19:14).

The most common way to bring the two perspectives into agreement is to view

the "Lord's Supper" as one of the preparatory meals which lead up to the Passover. By

the time of Christ Passover was not a one night affair, but a week long event coupled with

the Feast of Unleavened Bread. During the Feast of Unleavened Bread only bread

without yeast was to be eaten. This is precisely the bread that Jesus used in the upper

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room with His disciples and there is no mention of the meat of the lamb in the account of

the Gospels.

If this scenario is correct, then it may well be that as Jesus gave up His spirit and

died upon the cross, the first Lambs were being killed by the priests at the temple. At that

precise point in time the old and the new covenants converge. The old is fulfilled and the

new is begins.

Just as the Passover was to be a memorial through the generations, Jesus instituted

the Lord's Supper as memorial of His sacrifice and as a reminder of His promise to

return. He said, "Do this in remembrance of me. . . . For whenever you eat this bread and

drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Cor. 11:24-26, NIV).

SUMMARY

In Revelation Jesus said, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone

hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me"

(Rev. 3:20, NIV). Jesus is addressing the church here. He is pictured as standing outside

knocking, waiting for someone to open the door and let Him in so that He may eat with

us. There is, I believe, another picture here. The picture is of Jesus standing outside the

door of every believer's heart. Jesus is the Lamb whose blood must be applied to that

door. Jesus will either be the judge who executes judgment upon us as sinners, or He will

be our friend Whom we invite in to share the fellowship meal with. Our faith, or lack of

faith, will determine which Jesus will be in our life.

It is customary for modern Jews to eat the Passover with their front door open.

There are many reasons given for this, but the irony is that while they eat a meal which

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prefigured the life and death of their Messiah, they eat with the door open and yet for the

most part Jews have closed the door of their heart to Jesus.

May it never be said of us as "believers" that we come to God's house, read and

preach God's word, sing in God's name, and yet leave God's Son standing on the outside

knocking. The Writer asks the rhetorical question, "How shall we escape, if we neglect

so great salvation?" (Heb. 2:3). By faith we must welcome the Lamb who is our sacrifice

to come in. By faith we must have the covering of His blood applied to the doorposts of

our heart. And by faith we must perpetuate the Good News from one generation to the

next.

It was a night of fear, it was a night of hope, and it was a night of faith. Moses

faithfully carried out the instructions of the Lord and lead the Israelites to do what was

required. The full meaning of the event would not be realized until over a thousand years

later the Lamb of God shed His blood as a covering for all who will accept it. He gave

His life as a sacrifice for all who call upon His name.

Even now, almost two thousand years after Jesus died on the cross, the Church

observes a meal, the Lord’s Supper, and it is only when our faith is employed that the

true meaning and hope of the meal gains full significance. By faith we look back and

receive the grace of God which hung from a cross for our sins. And by faith we look

forward to the blessed hope that awaits all believers.

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 CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Verse 29
Moses: Faith Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Heb 11:29 (KJV)

29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians
assaying to do were drowned.

Heb 11:29 (NLT)

29 It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though
they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians followed, they were all drowned.

INTRODUCTION

Leonard Ravenhill once made the statement that, "God doesn't answer prayer. He

answers desperate prayer."2 His point was that millions of people pray every day but how

many prayers are answered? Prayers thrown up like handfuls of sand seldom reach their

mark. It's not that God cannot hear or answer them, the problem is that we are not

sincere enough to touch God with them. It is when our backs are against the wall, when

every other resource has been exhausted, that we become focused and purposeful in our

prayers.

The woman with the issue of blood is a great illustration of this (Matt. 9; Mark 5;

Luke 8). She had given all her money to the physicians and had only grown worse. After

2
Doug Stringer, "Pray Until Something Happens," Charisma and Christian Life,
Vol. 24, Num. 8 (March 1999): 78-80.

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her money was gone and all other options depleted, she heard about a man named Jesus.

She thought that if she could but touch the hem of His garment she could be healed. In

her desperation she managed to force her way through the crowd and touch Jesus'

garment. Healing power flowed out of Jesus into her and the channel for this transfer

was her faith. Jesus said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and

be freed from your suffering" (Mark 5:34, NIV).

It is not without significance that this woman had not come to Jesus before

spending all her money. She had not come before she had grown worse. It was only

after the other options had been expended that she had the determination to get to Jesus

and only after her faith in man had been disappointed that she was able to believe for her

healing.

There are many other examples of people who were desperate enough to get to

Jesus and were healed:

♦ The paralytic whose friends lowered him through the roof (Mark 2:1-12).

♦ The blind man, Bartimaeus, who cried out (Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43).

♦ The woman of Canaan whose daughter was vexed with a spirit (Matt. 15:22-28).

♦ The lepers who cried out (Luke 17:12-19).

♦ The man whose son was demon possessed (Matt. 17:15-21; Mark 9:17-29).

♦ Martha and Mary at Lazarus' tomb (John 11:1-44).

James tells us in his Epistle that various temptations and trials will test our faith

(Jas. 1:2-4). But he also promises that the end result of the trying of our faith is that we

become mature and committed Christians. Hard times and "divers temptations" work on

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our faith and, when our faith proves true, produces that which allows a Christian to

remain faithful even when under the crush of life's trials.

THE VICISSITUDES

In my Christian history classes in seminary I had a professor, Dr. David Franklin,

who repeatedly used the word "vicissitudes." That word really bugged me because I

didn't know what it meant, but I was too proud to admit it and ask him. For a year I tried

looking it up in the dictionary but I could not figure out how to spell it. I finally came to

some understanding of the meaning from the context of his lectures and was even able to

confirm this by use of the dictionary:

vicissitude, n. (esp. pl.) a change in fortunes or in a situation (The New Webster's

Dictionary).

Simply put, vicissitudes are the ups and downs of life. Israel came out of Egypt

with the spoils. They came out marching like a victorious army, only their salvation had

come by the hand of God and not from their own efforts. They were marching along

singing a song when all of the sudden they saw a great sea stretching out in front of them.

The parade came to a screeching halt.

"No problem," Moses probably thought, "we'll just turn back and go around."

Problem . . . someone noticed dust rising on the horizon behind them. A scout

climbed the highest hill and their fears were confirmed, Pharaoh had changed his mind

and was leading his armies in the direction of Israel. At this point they were literally

between the devil and the deep blue—okay, "Red"—Sea.

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 This is the way life is sometimes. One minute you're like an acquaintance of

mine in seminary who had eaten lunch and was singing in his heart, enjoying life; the

next minute as he was backing his car out of the driveway a horrible bone-crunching

sound changed his world. He leaped from his car and found his little girl crushed beneath

the tires of his own car. She had been on her tricycle and he had not seen her in any of

his rear view mirrors as he backed up. After she died he was out of ministry for two

years before he was able to stand behind a pulpit again and declare that God is good

regardless of what life throws at you.

These are the vicissitudes, the up one day down the next, realities of living. It is

not that our faith is fragile or that we are tossed to and fro, only that life itself is filled

endless possibilities. Real faith, faith that is grounded upon God and upon His Son, can

handle both the successes and the sorrows. A mere infatuation with God will wither in

the heat of battle leaving us defeated, deflated, and discouraged. It takes faith to stand in

the storms, or to stand in the sun, but "having done all to stand," to stand (Eph. 6:13).

Jesus used the parable of two men who built their houses on two different

foundations:

24 "Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who
builds a house on solid rock.
25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat
against that house, it won't collapse, because it is built on rock.
26 But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who
builds a house on sand.
27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will
fall with a mighty crash" (Matt. 7:24-27, NLT).

The point of the story is that the house of each man faced the floods and the winds

of the storm but only the house on the rock stood firm. Having faith is not a guarantee

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that you will not get laid off with everybody else. Having faith is not a guarantee that

you will not get cancer in your lifetime. Having faith is not a guarantee that your

children will never stray or even worse, that you will never face the pain of burying your

own child.

What, then, is the benefit of having faith in Christ? When our faith is in Him, and

if we truly believe, then we will obey. When we obey Him He is able to make everything

work together for good (Rom. 8:28). This doesn't mean that everything that happens is

good, only that God can weave the tapestry of our life together in such a way that every

thread finds its place and completes the picture of God's grace.

Even Jesus knew what it was like to have the crowd cheering Him and inviting

Him to be their king one day, only to hear them crying out "Crucify him!" a few days

later. He knows what it's like to for life to take sharp turns and because He knows what

it's like, He knows how to bring us through.

REFLECT: Have you ever experienced a startling turn of events in your life? How did

you deal with it? Have your crises helped you to become more adept at helping other

when they go through similar crises? Was there anyone there to help you when life

took that unexpected turn? If so, how did they help?

WHEN IT RAINS ON YOUR PARADE

Have you ever wished there were a parade held in your honor? Imagine that there

was such a parade, a once in a lifetime parade just for you. The city allowed one day for

the event and then . . . on your day . . . it rains so hard that it stops your parade. That's

really a bummer isn't?

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 While attending seminary in Tennessee, my wife, son and I lived in a rented

house for the first year before we purchased a mobile home. That summer was the third

year of a drought in the area. The grass was brown (which was okay with me because I

didn't have to mow very often), it was dry, hot, and dusty all summer—until the day I

moved from the house to the mobile home.

I borrowed a pick-up truck and was going to have to make several trips. I got the

day off from work, arranged for some help and started the move. As I drove that first

load to the mobile home I noticed the darkening skies overhead. By the second load it

was beginning to rain. Somewhere a farmer was rejoicing in his field. Somewhere a

child was playing in the rain. Somewhere some church folks were thanking God for

answering their prayers for rain. But me? I was mad.

I recall complaining the whole day. "God," I said out loud, "You knew I was

moving today! Why couldn't you hold off the rain for one more day?"

My possessions (most made of pressed wood) got wet, some were damaged for

good, and I managed to lose our wedding album. It was probably in the box that fell off

the back of the truck somewhere. Why did it have to rain on my moving day? That next

Sunday I lead the congregation in worship (?) singing, rather sarcastically, "Showers of

Blessings."

Moses and Israel were in a bind. Why hadn't God lead them in another direction?

Why did He lead them into a place where they could not run, could not turn around, and

could not go forward? Because God wanted them to "stand still and see the salvation of

the Lord" (Ex. 14:13).

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 It takes faith to "stand still." Most of us are like Abraham, we start thinking about

the problem and we think that maybe God needs our help, so we try to work it out

ourselves. Often this isn't always what God wants. God may simply be bringing us to

the point that our prayers are desperate. I have to believe that Moses was pretty sincere

and probably said something like, "Lord, I told them to stand still and watch you work, so

how about letting me know what we need to do."

15 The LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to
get moving!
16 Use your shepherd's staff-- hold it out over the water, and a path will open up
before you through the sea. Then all the people of Israel will walk through on
dry ground" (Exod. 14:15-16, NLT).

It takes faith to go forward when everything you see and hear, taste and touch,

tells you that you can't. Moses said, "Stand still, you're about to see God work it out."

Then God said, "Tell the people to get moving." Is there a contradiction here? Moses

said, "Stop" and God said "Go."

It takes faith for both. Stop, listen, wait on God and take a breath; don't panic,

don't despair, don't quit . . . stop for a moment and look behind you. Do you remember

what God has already brought you through? John Newton wrote the insightful verse in

"Amazing Grace”:

Through many dangers, toils and snares,

I have already come;
Tis grace that brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

Look at the pillar of fire between you and the enemy. If it had not been for the

Lord on your side the enemy would have already taken your life. But God sets the

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boundaries and God tells the enemy how far he can go. God is in control even when we

are not.

Then God told Moses to do something that doesn't make good sense to the natural

man, namely, to stretch out his rod over the water. God's promise was the He would give

them dry ground to walk on.

I've been to Universal Studios, in California where they filmed The Ten Commandments,

starring Charlton Heston. Our tour buggy rolled up to the edge of a small lake (it looks a

lot bigger in the movies) and stopped. Then, right on cue, a switch somewhere was

pulled and the water opened up in front of us. It formed two walls of water, more like

two waterfalls, on either side and a dry path down the middle. We drove right through it!

No special effects here. By faith Moses trusted God so he obeyed God. The sea

opened up in front of them in two heaps and they marched across. What looked like the

end of the line was the beginning of a great journey.

As they so often say at sports events, "It ain't over until the gravitationally

challenged (politically correct) woman sings." Life may appear to bring you to a dead

end, but God is on His throne and it ain't over till He says it's over!

Stop long enough to get your bearings, stay still long enough to get your

directions from God, and then, as Mary told the servants, "Do whatever He tells you"

(John 2:5, NIV).

REFLECT: How do you handle crises? Do you march straight ahead and deal with

them, or do you pause and consider the possibilities? Can you remember a time when

you came to standstill in a situation, and then, right before your eyes God worked it out?

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If you have, then that is a testimony, you need to share it with others who may have

come to a similar standstill in their life.

FAITH SLAMS THE DOOR IN THE ENEMY'S FACE

What was Pharaoh thinking? He had seen the plagues, he had lost a son, he had

been held back from Israel by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, and

now the last few Israelites and their animals are climbing up the banks on the other side

of the sea. The sea is standing up in a heap on either side and a strip of dry ground down

the middle is the only way to get vengeance. What do you do? If you're Pharaoh you

throw caution to the wind and you give the order to pursue.

By faith the Israelites were given safe escape, and by faith God slammed the door

in the enemy's face. What was deliverance for God's people spelled defeat for their

enemies. Pharaoh's armies and their animals were drown in the Red Sea.

Thankfully we are not like Pharaoh. We don't pursue blindly and end up

floundering in a sea of sorrow. We wouldn't think of running the spiritual red lights and,

ignoring the danger signs, run headlong into disaster. Or would we?

The truth is, if we don't stand still and listen, and if we don't obey God's Word we

are likely to find ourselves overwhelmed in a world of hurt made with our own hands.

God's promise is that the enemy who pursues us will ultimately be thrust into a

lake. Only this isn't a lake you can fish or swim in, this is a "lake of fire" (Rev. 20:10).

But even now he is defeated. The Apostle Paul saw the Red Sea as symbolic of water

baptism (1 Cor. 10:1-2) which itself is an outward sign of an inward work. We are

baptized into the body of Christ by the blood of Christ. This same blood is the door that

slams in the enemy's face when he tries to destroy us. The blood which provides safe

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passage into eternity for the believer, is the very blood which condemns and crushes

Satan and all who follow him.

Both the pillar of cloud and fire, and the Red Sea, which crushed the Egyptian

army, are reminders that when we are walking by faith and when we are following the

lead of the Lord, we don't have to live looking back over our shoulder. God has our

backs covered. He is watching out for us and we do not have to walk in fear when we are

walking in faith.

SUMMARY

It is a fact of life that "stuff happens" but it is not a fact in the life of the believer

that stuff has to determine our character or our attitude. When we are between the devil

and the deep blue sea we don't despair we just "look up for (our) redemption draweth

nigh" (Luke 21:28).

Jesus warned us that in the world we would have tribulation, but He also advised

us to "be of good cheer" because He has already overcome the world (John 16:33). This

is His way of saying that there will be devils and there will be deep blue seas, but don't

worry, don't falter, and do not fear, He has already provided a path to walk on. Not only

a path but also the light to walk it. His Word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path

(Ps. 119:105).

When we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place our faith reaches out and

grasps the promise that God is a "way in the wilderness" (Isa. 43:19); He will never lead

us to defeat. There is indeed, "Victory In Jesus!"

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 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Verse 30
Israel: Faith That Sees Walls Fall

Heb 11:30 (KJV)

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven
days.

Heb 11:30 (NLT)

30 It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho seven days, and
the walls came crashing down.

INTRODUCTION

It is interesting that one of the greatest men of faith in Scripture is not listed by

name in the Hall of Faith. Joshua, Jesus' namesake, is not mentioned by name, however,

the reference to the defeat of Jericho was well known and Joshua is inextricably bound to

the account. Yet the faith which the Writer lifts up for our consideration is not just that

of Joshua, but of the people of Israel who collectively obeyed and believed in the Word

of the Lord. Just as Israel displayed corporate faith in the face of a common enemy, the

church must learn the power of agreeing and believing together to confront common

challenges.

Without learning to come together in unity to "agree on earth as touching" (Matt.

18:19) the church will never be able to bring down the strongholds which the enemy tries

to build. The Word of the Lord included instruction for the entire army and not just for

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Joshua. As great a man as he was, God did not plan to send Joshua alone, God intended

for the nation to march together, to believe together, and to experience the joy of victory

together. On the Day of Pentecost the followers of Christ were "in one place and one

accord" when the Spirit empowered the Church to go forward as the army of the Lord.

Let's look at the text from the book of Joshua, chapter 6:

1 {The Fall of Jericho--} Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because
the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go in or
out.
2 But the LORD said to Joshua, "I have given you Jericho, its king, and all
its mighty warriors.
3 Your entire army is to march around the city once a day for six days.
4 Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram's horn. On
the seventh day you are to march around the city seven times, with the
priests blowing the horns.
5 When you hear the priests give one long blast on the horns, have all the
people give a mighty shout. Then the walls of the city will collapse, and
the people can charge straight into the city."
6 So Joshua called together the priests and said, "Take up the Ark of the
Covenant, and assign seven priests to walk in front of it, each carrying a
ram's horn."
7 Then he gave orders to the people: "March around the city, and the armed
men will lead the way in front of the Ark of the LORD."
8 After Joshua spoke to the people, the seven priests with the rams' horns
started marching in the presence of the LORD, blowing the horns as they
marched. And the priests carrying the Ark of the LORD's covenant
followed behind them.
9 Armed guards marched both in front of the priests and behind the Ark,
with the priests continually blowing the horns.
10 "Do not shout; do not even talk," Joshua commanded. "Not a single word
from any of you until I tell you to shout. Then shout!"
11 So the Ark of the LORD was carried around the city once that day, and
then everyone returned to spend the night in the camp.
12 Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests again carried the Ark
of the LORD.
13 The seven priests with the rams' horns marched in front of the Ark of the
LORD, blowing their horns. Armed guards marched both in front of the
priests with the horns and behind the Ark of the LORD. All this time the
priests were sounding their horns.
14 On the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the
camp. They followed this pattern for six days.

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 15 On the seventh day the Israelites got up at dawn and marched around the
city as they had done before. But this time they went around the city seven
times.
16 The seventh time around, as the priests sounded the long blast on their
horns, Joshua commanded the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given
you the city! (NLT).

STRONGHOLDS

Satan is an artist at creating strongholds in churches or in the lives of believers.

These are spiritual fortresses which he builds and borrows into so that he has a foothold

in and otherwise victorious life. It is what the Writer of Hebrews calls "every weight,

and the sin which doeth so easily beset us" (Heb. 12:1). He is presumably writing to

believers and yet he admits that there are sometimes things in our life—which he calls

"the sin"—which can "easily beset us." He includes himself in this admission by using

the first person plural pronoun, "us." But far from admitting defeat or being willing to

allow this stronghold to stand, the Writer says we can "lay aside" these weights and sin.

It is only by the faith which he illustrates in chapter 11, but it is possible to be an

overcomer.

Sometimes Satan builds strongholds in churches. These are strongholds that

hinder a church and keep it from crossing over or from marching forward. These

strongholds are built out of anything which will keep a church from engaging in the Great

Commission's call to evangelism. The stronghold may be fear, lack of leadership,

tradition, or any other thing that Satan can use to restrain the church and keep them in the

trenches when they should be on the front lines. The fourth century preacher and martyr,

John Chrysostom, once said, "You are but a poor soldier of Christ if you think you can

overcome without fighting, and suppose you can have the crown without the conflict."

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The p3omise of Jesus to believers is that He would build His church and "the gates of hell

shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18). Strongholds will fall when we follow the

Captain into battle and put in place the battle plans that He has given us.

The first stronghold in Joshua and Israel's path was a walled city called Jericho.

They could not pass it by and let it stand because the enemy would become a constant

threat to the flank of Israel's armies. This city had to be destroyed if Israel hoped to

advance into the Promised Land.

THE WALLS

This was a formidable city. Though liberal scholars and secular historians call

into question the very existence of a city called Jericho at the time of Joshua's invasion;

other4 point to the excavations of Kathleen Kenyon which reveal a city that had enormous

walls and was a formidable impediment to invading armies.

The w5ll that Kenyon discovered appears to have been destroyed in dramatic

fashion, in one fell swoop. She attributes this to an earthquake; however, those who

claim Kenyon's Jericho as that of Scripture point to the fallen walls as proof of the

miraculous work of God on Israel's behalf.

Despite the suppositions of archaeologists, Scripture tells us that there was a city

called Jericho that had walls large enough for at least one home (Rahab's) to be built into

it. Beyond that we do not know from the text the number of the inhabitants of the city,

the circumference or width of the walls. We do know that they were high enough that it

took the use of ropes for Joshua's spies to escape from the city.

4
5

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 These were walls that were formidable enough to keep Israel out and the

inhabitants in. At this point in their history it is doubtful that Israel had battering rams to

force the gates open, towers to climb the walls, or catapults to lob stones or fire into the

city. God had been preparing this generation for battle while they were maturing in the

wilderness, yet each of their victories had come from the hand of the Lord and not

through any military prowess on their part.

REFLECT: Have you identified strongholds in your life, or in your church? Sometimes

the only way these strongholds will come down is when they are identified and the

combined faith of the church is employed against them. If you know of a stronghold in

your church have you joined with others in prayer and faith to do spiritual battle? Are

you making progress? If not, why not?

THE WORD

God gave Joshua the marching orders. It wasn't the invention of a new instrument

of war that would bring the victory. It was not by the might or strength of man that

victory would come. God was going to use this occasion to display His power and His

protection of His people. All that His people had to do was believe and obey.

Here is a lesson for every church struggling with an inferiority complex, God did

not choose Israel because they were great but because they were small (Deut. 7:7). God's

strength is revealed most clearly when man is at his weakest. The Apostle Paul declared:

8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made
perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

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 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in
persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I
strong (2 Cor 12:8-10, KJV).

God had a Word of instruction for Joshua. God's Word reveals His plan for

spiritual victory. He told Joshua to walk around the city one time on each of six

consecutive days. On the seventh day they would walk around seven times and after the

seventh time the priests would blow a long blast upon the rams horns and when the

people heard the blast they would shout and the wall would fall. This didn't make good

military sense, but this was first and foremost a spiritual victory for Israel. The Israelites

would have to go into the city once the walls fell, but God was the one giving the victory

to His people.

The plan may not have made sense to the natural man and yet time has shown that

God's ways are always the best ways. The writer of Proverb 14:12 warned, "There is a

way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." We

already know that the church has been called to "go" and to teach and preach the Good

News of Jesus Christ. We cannot be afraid and we must not be ashamed because the

"gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16).

REFLECT: There is a special power to be found in corporate faith. Jesus said,

"Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any

thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in

heaven" (Matt. 18:19, KJV). James said, "Is any sick among you? let him call for

the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the

name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall

raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him" (Jas.

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5:14-15, KJV). Can you recall a time when the combined faith of the church

accomplished that which your faith alone was not able to accomplish?

THE WALK

It is not enough to simply hear the Word of God, or memorize the Word of God,

nor yet to talk the Word of God, ultimately the Word must become our walk. Every

church that has ever opened the Bible knows that Jesus said, "Go." Yet, not every church

is focusing on transforming the Word into their walk. The old preacher used to say, "If

you're gonna talk the talk, you gotta walk the walk!"

For six days they would have to walk without seeing anything happen. This is

what is it means to "walk by faith and not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7). Strongholds in our

personal lives keep us from walking deeper and farther in our relationship with Christ.

From the strongholds in our life the enemy makes forays and attacks our faith with

defeatism and doubt. We become so anxious about the enemy’s attack from our flanks

that we fail to let our faith lead us forward.

Day after hot day they walked, hour after hour, step after step they walked. At the

end of the day the walls were still standing, yet when the call came the next day, they got

up and walked again. Walking according to the Word may not bring overnight victory,

and yet the truth is, as long as we walk by faith we are already walking in victory.

When I was a boy we had an elderly man in the congregation who always ended

his testimony with the request, "Pray for me to keep on, keeping on." Walking by faith

and not by sight can only occur when the believer has first heard the Word of God.

Walking without first hearing the Word was what caused Israel's defeat at Ai and it will

cause the downfall of believers and churches today.

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REFLECT: Does your walk accurately reflect your faith? Do your words and your

actions agree? If not, then it may be that you have not moved from head knowledge to

heart knowledge. We can mentally affirm tenants of faith, such as the Second Coming

of Christ, but when we believe it in our heart, it will change the way we live.

THE WORSHIP

There is a close connection between the Word, the walk and worship. They heard

the Word which told them to walk, and then just before the victory, they were told to

shout.

When Balaam observed Israel in the desert, he prophesied, "the shout of a King is

among them" (Num. 23:21). In Psalm 47:1 the instructions for worship are, "O clap your

hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph." We can shout the

victory before we have engaged the enemy only if we are walking by faith according to

the Word and the will of God.

It was not the resonance of the trumpets and voices that brought down the walls.

This was not an experiment in physics; it was a demonstration of spiritual power. Just as

the praise of Paul and Silas proceeded the shaking of the prison and opening of the doors,

the shout of the people becomes the voice of faith. The Psalmist declared "thou art holy,

O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel" (Ps. 22:3).

Israel had to follow the Word of the Lord to very crossing of the "t" and the

dotting of the "i." If they had failed to shout as the trumpets sounded the walls would not

have fallen. The irony is that they were to shout before the walls fell. The shout of

victory preceded the victory. The shout itself, then, was an act of faith.

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REFLECT: If it is true that praise is the language of faith what does your current

expressions of praise say about your faith? Can you shout with the voice of triumph

before the walls fall, or do have to see the fallen walls before your shout comes? If

Israel had not shouted first, the walls would not have fallen. Could it be that some of the

strongholds in your life will not fall until you start praising God for the victory?

THE WITNESS

When the church learns to overcome the strongholds by hearing and obeying the

Word, walking the walk, and worshipping with a shout of triumph, walls will fall and all

that will remain is the witness of what God has done.

After the walls fell, the city had been burned and the victory had been secured,

Joshua announced:

26 And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the
LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the
foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the
gates of it.
27 So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the
country (Jos. 6:26-27, KJV).

This heap of crumbled stone and burned buildings would remain for generations

as a witness to what God had done for His people. It was also a witness to the other

tribes and inhabitants of Canaan that God's army was on the move. The victory was also

a witness to the fact that Joshua had been chosen by God to lead Israel into Canaan.

SUMMARY

Faith is not a competition; it is not our endeavor to prove that we have more faith

than anyone else does. Each of us in a corporate worship experience must come together

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to pray with and for one another. The power of the prayer of agreement should not be

minimized but should serve as a constant reminder that we need one another. As the

Writer said in Hebrews 10:25, "let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people

do" (NLT). Some walls will only fall when the church starts marching together in faith

and obedience to the will and Word of God.

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 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Verse 31
Rahab: Deliverance Faith

Heb 11:31 (KJV)

31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had
received the spies with peace.

Heb 11:31 (NLT)

31 It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute did not die with all the others in her city
who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

INTRODUCTION

Much of her life she had been known simply as Rahab the Harlot. People in her

city knew where she lived and they knew what she did. Her's was not a profession

which engendered feelings of self worth or esteem.

When rumors were going around the city that several million people were heading

in the direction of their city she listened. She heard that the God of these people, Whom

they called Yahweh, had parted the Red Sea bringing them out of Egyptian captivity.

She heard how their God had subdued their enemies and was promising them victory in

the land of her father. Instead of fear, however, hope arose. Perhaps for the first time in

a long time her wounded soul found something which could set her free from the hands

of humiliation..

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 The spies found her home, or perhaps she found them. She brought them in and

her newly found faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was to be her deliverance

from her own past. Her faith in Yahweh would change her life and give her a new start

with a new people. Ultimately, her faith in God resulted in a new future. Here in the

Hall of Faith, where we do not see names of great men like Joshua or Elijah, we find the

name of Rahab. Furthermore, her name appears in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew's

Gospel (1:5) and she is listed, along with Abraham, as an example of faith at work in

James' Epistle (2:25).

It is astounding to see how respected and renowned she became. Her actions

seem so insignificant in comparison to other great men and women of faith, and yet her

example is one that speaks to the humblest of men and women whose past is checkered

and whose future seems bleak. Faith in God, both what He has done and what He can do,

believes that surrender to God and His will is the only answer. Rahab's faith changed her

life and was part of the process by which God gave the victory to His people.

Many of us, had we been God, would not have found a hero of faith in a little

woman who was a practicing prostitute. We would probably have looked a little higher

up the social ladder. But God knows that people who are desperate for a change in their

situation are most likely to accept His help when it comes. People sinking in the sea of

life are quicker to take hold of the hand of God than those who seem safe in the ship of

self-satisfaction are. Sometimes it's got to get desperate, it's got to get down and dirty—

like the prodigal son in the hog pen—before we start thinking of the Father's house or

make up our mind to come to Him.

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REFLECT: Have you ever been in a desperate situation? Were you more or less

interested in prayer and hearing from God? Have you ever gone on a fast in the middle

of a personal crisis? Do you think people tend to pray and fast more when we are in

trouble than when times are good? Why?

Let's go back to the book of Joshua and review the story from Joshua chapter 21:

1 {Rahab Protects the Spies--} Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the
Israelite camp at Acacia. He instructed them, "Spy out the land on the other
side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho." So the two men set out
and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.
2 But someone told the king of Jericho, "Some Israelites have come here tonight
to spy out the land."
3 So the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab: "Bring out the men who have
come into your house. They are spies sent here to discover the best way to
attack us."
4 Rahab, who had hidden the two men, replied, "The men were here earlier, but
I didn't know where they were from.
5 They left the city at dusk, as the city gates were about to close, and I don't
know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them."
6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them beneath piles of flax.)
7 So the king's men went looking for the spies along the road leading to the
shallow crossing places of the Jordan River. And as soon as the king's men
had left, the city gate was shut.
8 Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk
with them.
9 "I know the LORD has given you this land," she told them. "We are all afraid
of you. Everyone is living in terror.
10 For we have heard how the LORD made a dry path for you through the Red
Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the
two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely
destroyed.
11 No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight
after hearing such things. For the LORD your God is the supreme God of the
heavens above and the earth below.
12 Now swear to me by the LORD that you will be kind to me and my family
since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that
13 when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and
mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families."
14 "We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety," the men agreed. "If
you don't betray us, we will keep our promise when the LORD gives us the
land."

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 15 Then, since Rahab's house was built into the city wall, she let them down by a
rope through the window.
16 "Escape to the hill country," she told them. "Hide there for three days until the
men who are searching for you have returned; then go on your way."
17 Before they left, the men told her, "We can guarantee your safety
18 only if you leave this scarlet rope hanging from the window. And all your
family members-- your father, mother, brothers, and all your relatives-- must
be here inside the house.
19 If they go out into the street, they will be killed, and we cannot be held to our
oath. But we swear that no one inside this house will be killed-- not a hand
will be laid on any of them.
20 If you betray us, however, we are not bound by this oath in any way."
21 "I accept your terms," she replied. And she sent them on their way, leaving the
scarlet rope hanging from the window. (NLT)

RAHAB’S REFUGE FOR THE SPIES

We don't know exactly how the spies came to find their way to Rahab's house, but

she took them in and, as the Writer states, "received the spies with peace." Perhaps the

spies had heard of her and thought that a house on the wall of the city would provide

access to escape should the gates be locked behind them. Or, perhaps we might ascribe

Sovereign will to the whole turn of events. God knew Rahab and God knew who would

be listed in the lineage of Jesus even before He became flesh and dwelt among us.

Rahab not only showed them hospitality, she hid them and she tricked the

authorities into looking in the wrong direction. Some have wondered how her lying

could be justified, but misinformation in a time of war is not lying, it is a good strategy.

Rahab was putting her life on the line for what she believed. If she was wrong

she might have been killed. If she was wrong her hope of deliverance would have been

in vain. For her, any possibility other than the God of Israel defeating Jericho was not on

the table. Everything she did and said reflected her belief in the power of Israel's God

over the gods of Canaan.

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REFLECT: If people looked at our lives and listened to our words would they see and

hear a life that demonstrates an unwavering faith in God? If we are God's ambassadors

upon the earth, which we are, then shouldn't we be finding those desperate souls that

are ready to believe? How do we do that? Where do we find them? (Chances are that

we have to leave the camp and spy out the land).

RAHAB’S REASON TO BELIEVE

After sending the authorities on a futile search, Rahab had the opportunity to talk

further with the spies. She began with a confession of faith, "'I know the LORD has

given you this land,' she told them. 'We are all afraid of you. Everyone is living in

terror'" (v. 9, NLT). Her confession began with, "I know," and ended with, "For the

LORD your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below" (v. 11,

NLT). This is the epitome of faith ("the evidence of things not seen"). She told the men

that the whole city had heard what God was doing for Israel and she told them further

that the whole city was living in terror because of them. But she was willing to go one

step further than the city, she was ready to believe.

Rahab was not going to cling to her past so tenaciously that she would forfeit her

future. Rahab saw a chance for a change and she saw a chance for deliverance. The city

of her infamy was going to be defeated, her past would be buried with it and a new life

would begin.

To the natural mind there was not one chance in a million that a marauding group

of nomads with none of the instruments of war could defeat the walled city of Jericho.

Still, Rahab chose to believe in the God of Israel and to stake her life on it. Deliverance

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faith is never discouraged with the odds. The child of God knows that when our faith is

fixed on Him, we will not lose.

After going to the school one warm spring day to pick up my cousin before the

police could get there to arrest him, his future looked bleak. He had threatened the

teacher with a baseball bat and the police were on the way to remove him from the

premises. I suggested that he leave voluntarily with me. At first he resisted, but later he

came to his senses and left with me and my mother. He was suspended from school for

the rest of the year. The years that followed were filled with trouble and school

suspensions until he dropped out of high school to join the Marines. While in the

Marines he came to know Christ as his personal Savior, and by the grace of God, years of

abuse and hurt were healed as God gave him a brand new future with a wife and three

healthy children. Since then he has entered the ministry and worked for several years as

a youth pastor.

Many people would have written my cousin off as unsalvageable. They would

have tossed him on the junk pile of ruined lives and broken hearts. But God can even

deliver us from our past and give us a brand new future.

REFLECT: When you came to Christ, was your past buried? This is what it means to

be "Born Again." Faith in Christ brings a new life, a new future, and a forgiven past.

This is why Paul could say, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this

one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those

things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God

in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13-14, KJV). If you’ve received the forgiveness of God for your

past, have you also forgiven yourself?

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 Have you known people whom the odds were against them ever getting their life

straightened out, and then, by the grace of God they beat the odds? I’m one, perhaps

you’re another. The Church that Jesus is building is being built with stones cut rough

from the mountain and chiseled to fit at the building site.

RAHAB REACHED AN AGREEMENT FOR HER DELIVERANCE

Not just us, but our family, our marriage, our children and our children's children,

can be affected by the faith we put in God. Rahab was not just concerned about herself,

she interceded for her family. Father, mother, brother, sister, and anyone else who was in

her house when the walls of the city fell would be saved.

She let the spies out of her window on a cord, or a rope. The rope was scarlet red

and she was instructed to leave the rope dangling out of her window so that they would

remember where she lived.

One cannot help but to draw certain symbolic inferences from the scarlet cord.

The red blood of Christ running down an old rugged cross became our lifeline. When the

blood has been applied, which is to say, when we receive by faith the benefits of the

cross, we can be sure that we will be safe in His pavilion when His end-time judgment is

poured out.

In Rahab's case she interceded for her own safety, as well as for that of her

family; in our case it is Jesus, born from her bloodline, by whom we receive intercession.

Yet Christ did not bargain to save His life, He gave it to save ours. And because He rose

again, and has ascended to the right hand of the Father, He now lives forever to make

intercession for us (Heb. 7:25).

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 Our lives have been marked and sealed by the scarlet line for deliverance from the

Great Tribulation. By faith we live with a "blessed hope . . . the glorious appearing of the

great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 13). The walls of the present world order

will fall and yet we shall be hid in Christ. "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but

to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:9, KJV).

REFLE CT: When you think of your friends and family do you know some who are in

need of salvation? How often do you intercede for them in prayer? When you think of

the possibility of the return of Christ, does it fill your heart with fear or joy? If you knew

for sure Jesus was coming back today, who would be the first person you would call to

warn? How do you think they would respond? Why do you think they would respond in

that manner?

RAHAB REMEMBERED

God is as good as His promises. When the walls fell everyone in the city was

killed except those who had hid in Rahab's house:

16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the
trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you
the city.
17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD:
only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house,
because she hid the messengers that we sent.

20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to
pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted
with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into
the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman,
young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

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 22 But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into
the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye
sware unto her.
23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her
father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought
out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.
24 And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and
the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the
house of the LORD.
25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all
that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the
messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho (Josh. 6:16-17, 20-25, KJV).

God doesn't forget His covenants or His promises. Jesus has promised us that He

is coming back for His church so that where He is there we may be also (John 14:3).

Before it all comes down, we shall be lifted up:

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord
(1 Thess. 4:16-17, KJV).

One can only imagine how much convincing it took from Rahab to get her family

to gather in her home. Perhaps the terror that the city was experiencing was enough to

bring them, or perhaps her testimony caused them to believe also. Either way they were

saved with her, and she was saved because she believed in the God of Israel even when

the rest of the city would not. The Writer says that, "Rahab perished not with them that

believed not." The other people of the city perished because they believed not in the God

of Israel. They placed their confidence in their wall and they were destroyed along with

it.

Today the walls behind which men hide from God are walls of financial security,

intellectualism, political power, or military might and yet even those walls will fall.

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Sometimes they fall in our lifetime but even if not in this life they will finally fall into a

rubble of ruin and wasted opportunities to come to Christ in faith. If we hope to be saved

from the wrath to come we've got to be in the house, which is to say, "Born Again". We

have to be living as children of God in the Father's House.

Faith is never determined by a majority vote. The rest of the city did not believe,

but she did. The rest of the city perished, but she and her family did not.

There are many opinion polls being taken in our time. They ask people questions

about abortion, about the president, about God, about anything and everything. But the

fact that a majority believes or disbelieves does not change the truth. Our deliverance is

not found in the majority vote but in faith in Christ. Sometimes this faith may place us in

a position which runs counter to culturally accepted opinions and practices of our day,

and yet, if our faith is in the truth of God's Word the truth will make us free while the

majority run hand in hand down the broad road to destruction.

REFLECT: Have you ever had to make decisions, based on your faith, which were
contrary to popular opinion? How did others react to you? Have you ever had someone
come to you later and admit that they agreed but were afraid to go against the popular
stand? How do you explain to people, who believe in abortion or homosexuality, that
you are morally and biblically opposed? What should your demeanor be in these
situations?

SUMMARY

Rahab had faith that delivered her both from destruction with the rest of the city

and from her own checkered past. Her example stands as a testimony to the power of

faith to change the course of our lives and give us the glorious future God has planned for

us.

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 It is not enough just to fear and tremble at the prospect of the coming of Jesus

Christ. I know many people who believe that the end of the world is at hand, and yet

their only response, like those in the days of Noah, is "Eat, drink and be merry for

tomorrow we die!" The Christian on the other hand can face the end of this world with

the joy of knowing that today and tomorrow we live!

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 CHAPTER NINETEEN
Verses 32a-34
Gideon: Faith To Believe the Report of the Lord

Heb. 11:32-34 (KJV)

32 And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of
Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises,
stopped the mouths of lions,
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness
were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Heb. 11:32-34 (NLT)

32 Well, how much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the
stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the
prophets.
33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what
God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions,
34 Quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their
weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies
to flight.

INTRODUCTION

In the verses preceding our text each of the heroes of faith are given enough space

to consider a feat and/or feature of their faith. In verse 32, however, names are belted out

with machine-gun like rapidity—Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel.

Furthermore, they are not even listed in the order that they appear in the Old Testament.

The Writer has progressed from the time of the Patriarchs to the settlement of Israel in

Canaan rather leisurely. Now in one verse he covers the judges, kings, and prophets. He

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realizes that he has taken considerable space to write of the testimony of the elders, and

now begins to summarize. He indicates that these examples should be enough, but if he

had more time he could go on with many other examples of faith and he lists six names to

make his point. Following these names the Writer lists, without comment, some of the

exploits of faith which typify these heroes.

The Writer didn't have the time or space to look more closely at the faith of these

men, but we do. Let's take each one in the order they appear and consider the faith of

Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephtah, David and Samuel. Verses 33 and 34 are summaries of

what some of these great men accomplished through faith.

With the exception of Samuel, my initial reaction to this list of men is that the

Writer could have picked better examples. As we examine each we will see that the first

five examples are fraught with problems and characteristics which run counter to our

modern understanding of faith.

THE TIMES OF THE JUDGES

After Joshua lead Israel into Canaan and the conquest thereof, Israel entered into

an era known as the time of the Judges. It was a time of extreme vacillation on the part

of Israel. They would worship God and prosper only to grow morally lax in their

prosperity and begin to worship false gods. Yahweh, then, would raise up hostile pagan

forces to bring judgment upon Israel to cause Israel to remember the True God and to cry

out to Him for help. In response to their cry for help God raised up men (and a woman)

who were called "judges." They were heroes of faith and obedience, yet some of these

people seem to be unlikely choices to accomplish God’s purposes. It was recognized that

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every judge was an instrument of God's hand and that their success came from His touch

upon their lives.

REFLECT: If America were Israel, and we were living during the time of the judges,

what part of the cycle—prosperity, backsliding, judgment, repentance, revival, or

deliverance—do you think we are in? Based upon the former works of God at this point

in the cycle, what might be next for America?

GIDEON, THE MAN BEHIND THE BARN

Imagine for a moment that your country is under siege from hostile forces. You

live in the country and you are a farmer. These hostile forces occasionally raid your

county and kill some of your friends, but for the most part they let you live. It is not a

case of ethnic cleansing because these hostile forces don't want to kill you farmers off,

they want you to plant the fields, tend the fields and harvest the fields. Then just when

you should be enjoying the fruit of your labors, they come down from the hills and rob

you of your harvest. This goes on year after year. What would you do? Maybe you

would try to hide the harvest and keep it out of sight and out of reach of the marauders.

How would you feel hiding behind the barn doors shucking your corn? Every

little sound sends you running for cover. Would you be angry at the hostile forces for

their cruelty? Would you feel like a coward for not standing up to them? Would you be

angry with God for letting this happen? If you said yes to these questions, then you have

an idea of how Gideon must have felt.

Look at Judges chapter 6:

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 11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in
Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed
wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The
LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour (6:11-12, KJV).

We might have looked at Gideon and said, "Hello, you coward!" But the report

of the Lord to Gideon is, "Mighty Hero! The Lord is with you" (NLT). We look at

people as they are, God sees them for what they can be in His hands. In God's hands

Gideon would become more than anyone would have ever imagined, including Gideon.

In fact, Gideon himself might have wondered who the Lord was talking to. I doubt

Gideon considered himself to be a "mighty man."

It must have been humiliating for him, like all Israelites, to have to thresh the

wheat in the winepress instead of out on the threshingfloor. At that time wheat could

only be properly threshed (the process by which the wheat is separated from the husk, or

chaff) in the open on a platform called a "threshingfloor." Here they would pound, or

thresh, the wheat against the floor and the grain would fall to the floor while the wind

carried away the chaff of the grain.

The winepress was an enclosed area where the grapes were crushed for juice.

There was no wind and therefore a poor separation of wheat and chaff. This made for

bad bread. Gideon was living in fear because he had believed the report of the enemy

that Israel was too weak and too cowardly to confront them. But when the angel of the

Lord came to talk to Gideon, the angel brought with him the report of the Lord. It would

take a while, and it would take some convincing, but eventually Gideon began to believe

the report of the Lord and his faith in the Lord's report was what transformed the coward

into a mighty man of valor.

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 The world's report is that the Church is an archaic relic of superstitious and

unenlightened minds. The report of the world is that committed Christians are a

hindrance to the advancement of society and the New World Order which politicians and

liberal social scientists want to put in place. The world's report is that there is no God, no

hope beyond the grave, and no salvation outside of our own works.

This is the report of the enemy and it can intimidate some folks whose faith is

weak and whose commitment is wavering. But given the report of the world or the report

of the Lord, I choose to believe God.

REFLECT: If your neighbors and work-mates were to write a report about you, do you
think it would be positive or negative? Why? Have ever considered what the report of
the Lord is concerning the life you live? We will all give an account before God, are you
living up to your God given potential to be a man or woman of faith or are you hiding
behind the barn, afraid to take a stand?

GIVING VOICE TO THE REPORT OF THE ENEMY

The angel called Gideon a mighty man of valor but Gideon's response was to give

voice to the report of the enemy. He said:

13 "Sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to
us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn't they
say, 'The LORD brought us up out of Egypt'? But now the LORD has
abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites" (Jud. 6:13, NLT).

Notice that Gideon did not respond like a man of faith or a man of valor. He

almost scoffed at the report of the Lord. Gideon sounds a lot like the skeptics of our own

day who ask, "If God is all loving and all powerful, then why is there evil in the world?"

Instead of accepting blame for their own actions and for their lack of devotion to God, the

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people of Israel were blaming God. This is the report of the enemy, "It's God's fault, and

besides, I don't believe in God."

God looks beyond our moments of doubt and defeat and sees the potential which

resides within us. God is able to take underdogs and make winners. In fact, God seems

to delight in this very thing. Gideon didn't sound like a candidate to lead Israel to victory.

His profession was totally negative. If our words worked like some kind of magic force

and condemned us on the spot, Gideon would have sealed his fate right here. Based on

much of the modern teaching of faith Gideon would not make the list of heroes.

The Lord persists, "Then the LORD turned to him and said, ‘Go with the strength

you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!’" (Jud. 6:14, NLT).

God is telling Gideon, "I can use what you've got if you will trust and obey. I am sending

you!"

Gideon has heard the roar of the lion and he is scared. Gideon's reply reflects the

very report which the enemy would have each of us believe:

1 "But Lord . . . how can I rescue Israel?" Translation, "I can do

nothing!"
2 "My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh." Translation,
"I have nothing!"
3 "I am the least in my entire family!" Translation, "I am nothing!"

These three lies have stopped more ministries and have hindered more Christians

than any other device which the devil has used to stop the church from marching into his

territory to take back what he stole from us. The enemy wants us to believe that in the

face of the world's ills we can do nothing. In the classrooms of science and secular

scholarship, we have nothing. In comparison to the entertainers and sports heroes of our

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day, we are nothing. If we believe this report, then we aren't likely to attempt much or

accomplish much for the Lord.

REFLECT: Do you know who you are in Christ? Do the words, "more than a

conqueror" mean anything to you? Are you aware of the spiritual resources which God

has provided for you to live a successful Christian life? Can you think of three things

God can use you to do for Him this week?

GIDEON'S GROWING FAITH

As we have already seen from previous examples, faith sometimes has to grow to

meet the challenge. Gideon wasn't ready to go straight from the winepress to the war.

God would condescend to move in ways which would cause the faith of Gideon to grow.

To begin, the Lord promised Gideon, "I will be with you." It wasn't that Gideon

was inherently a great man that makes him a hero of faith, it was because God was with

him. Likewise, we aren't great men and women of faith because of who we are, but

because of Whose we are. When God is with us then "greater is he that is in [us], than he

that is in the world" (1 John 4:4, KJV).

Gideon, however, required a sign. He was saying, "Prove it!"

Fortunately for Gideon, God is "long-suffering."

Gideon made lunch and laid it before the angel of the Lord on a rock. The lunch

was consumed with a fire and the angel disappeared from before Gideon's eyes.

Naturally, this went a long way toward increasing Gideon's faith, but he still wasn't ready

for the battlefield.

God began to test Gideon's fledging faith. He said:

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 25 "Take the second best bull from your father's herd, the one that is seven
years old. Pull down your father's altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah
pole standing beside it.
26 Then build an altar to the LORD your God here on this hill, laying the
stones carefully. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as
fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down" (Jud. 6:25-26, NLT).
Gideon obeyed and when he was challenged by the town's people Gideon stood

his ground. He was a champion in the making.

REFLECT: Has God been building a champion out of you? Have you had some battles

which have tested your faith? How did you fare? Are you stronger or weaker as a result

of the test? Are you ready for the next level?

After passing this test God took Gideon forward in his walk. Gideon called the

men to arms. He sounded the trumpets and mustered an army. But far from a positive

confession, Gideon displays doubt. Gideon laid out a fleece before the Lord. First he

asked God to confirm His promise by allowing the piece of sheep's wool, which he laid

on the threshingfloor, to be wet with dew while the surrounding ground remained dry.

When the morning came, Gideon found the wool wet just as he had asked of the

Lord. Isn't God patient?

Gideon wasn't satisfied. He asked God one more time to prove His promise, so he

asked the Lord to leave the fleece dry and let the ground wet with dew. Again, the Lord

condescended to honor the request of Gideon.

Some have asked whether putting a "fleece" before the Lord, that is, asking God

to give us a sign before we act, is valid. The only response we can give is that God did

honor Gideon's request. However, this was part of a larger process of building Gideon's

faith to the point that he would no longer need a fleece. In the early stages of our faith

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God may go to great lengths to get us go from crawling like babes to walking like men.

The point of the process is to get us to trust completely and to obey without hesitation.

REFLECT: Do you ask God to prove His promises? Are you deep enough in your

relationship with God that you can recognize His voice? If you know it is God's Word,

then do you need to put a fleece before Him? How would you describe your faith: is it

crawling, stumbling, walking or running?

Gideon was successful at getting thirty thousand men to rally as troops against the

Midianites. But God wasn't done building the faith of Gideon. God said, "You've got too

many!"

Now if that doesn't run contrary to everything we know about warfare, what does.

You would think that the more the merrier, and yet God doesn't look at numbers or odds,

God is looking for men of courage and heart. God told Gideon, "Tell everyone who is

afraid to go on home." Twenty-two thousand men went home.

I can imagine that Gideon's fledgling faith was faltering a little bit here. Still,

God wasn't done! God said, "You've still go too many!"

Give Gideon credit, he didn't argue with God this time. God said, "Take them

down to the spring and I will sort them out. Tell them to take a drink. Everyone who

dives in headfirst and sucks it straight out of the spring, send them home. The men who

cup the water in their hands and lap it like a dog can stay."

Three hundred men remained. Gideon followed the directions of the Lord. They

took clay pots, horns, and torches to go to war with. Gideon was going through the

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motions and yet his faith was still lacking. He was obeying, yet there was a grain of fear

which still remained in his heart. God decided to take care of that as well.

GIDEON BELIEVES THE REPORT OF THE LORD

God told Gideon to go down to the outpost of the enemy's camp and listen to what

they were saying. The twist is that Gideon heard the report of the Lord from the lips of

the enemy.

11 Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly
encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack." So Gideon took Purah and
went down to the outposts of the enemy camp.
12 The armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east had settled in
the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels were like grains of sand on
the seashore-- too many to count!
13 Gideon crept up just as a man was telling his friend about a dream. The
man said, "I had this dream, and in my dream a loaf of barley bread came
tumbling down into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent, turned it over, and
knocked it flat!"
14 His friend said, "Your dream can mean only one thing-- God has given
Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite, victory over all the armies united with
Midian!"
15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he thanked God.
Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted, "Get up! For the LORD
has given you victory over the Midianites!" (Jud. 7:11-15, NLT).

Finally, we see a "mighty man of valor." It didn't happen over night. It came

with starts and stops and through doubts and fears, but Gideon became the man which

God knew he could be. God started with Gideon where he was and brought him step by

step to where He wanted him to be.

Some folks are almost there. They have seen God move and they believe; yet

they are afraid to take the final step of faith in their ministry. They go through the

motions of obedience, and they do what they believe God is calling them to do, and yet

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that grain of doubt remains digging into the heart of their ministry. If we could hear the

enemy talking we would find that he is afraid that we will find out that:

1 We can do all things through Christ.

2 We have spiritual armor and weaponry to fight the good fight of faith.
3 We are heirs and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.

This is the report of the Lord and when we let these truths take hold we will

march forth in boldness and courage to attack the enemy.

REFLECT: Whose report will you believe? God is patient and God will take you from

where you are to where you need to be, but you must submit and follow His lead

wherever it takes you. Are you timid and scared? Then perhaps your faith is in your

own strength and talents instead of the Lord. God can get you from fear to faith if you

will follow in the footsteps of obedience. The songwriter said, "trust and obey, for there's

no other way."

SUMMARY

Gideon shows us that God can bring us from behind the barn to the forefront of

the fight when we let Him perfect our faltering faith. The little victories are part of the

process. We simply need to recognize that hand of God at work in our lives. The flat tire

on the way home from work may be the means by which God gets us to the next level. It

may be a small thing to believe and to receive the help we need, but it is working together

for good.

Every day is another day in the school of faith. We grow, we go to the next level,

we lean more, we trust more, we do more, but we do not graduate until faith ends in sight.

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The Apostle Paul gives us this assurance: "And I am sure that God, who began the good

work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when

Christ Jesus comes back again" (Phil.1:6, NLT).

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 CHAPTER TWENTY
Verse 32b-34
Barak: Faith to Follow

Heb. 11:32-34 (KJV)

32 And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of
Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises,
stopped the mouths of lions,
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness
were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Heb. 11:32-34 (NLT)

32 Well, how much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the
stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the
prophets.
33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what
God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions,
35 Quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their
weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies
to flight.

INTRODUCTION

The Writer of Hebrews lists Barak after Gideon. Again, if I were writing the list

of men and women of faith, I would have chosen Deborah over Barak. Her faith appears

more mature and determined than that of Barak, and yet there is something to be said of a

man during that time that was willing to recognize the positions of judge and prophetess

held by Deborah. Even in the twentieth century, on the dawn of the twenty-first, we live

in a culture which finds it difficult to follow the leadership of women. Our country, the

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United States, for example, has never had a woman president or vice-president. But

during a time when women had far fewer rights than they do today Deborah was used of

God as a judge, one of the of the deliverers of that era.

Perhaps the faith of Barak is in the fact that he was willing to listen to the words

of a woman and to realize that she was the mouthpiece of God. He was willing to let the

glory of the victory go to another woman and in so doing overcome cultural and social

pressures so that the nation as a whole could be blessed with deliverance from the hand of

the king of Canaan.

1 {Deborah Becomes Israel's Judge--} After Ehud's death, the Israelites again
did what was evil in the LORD's sight.
2 So the LORD handed them over to King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite king.
The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-haggoyim.
3 Sisera, who had nine hundred iron chariots, ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites
for twenty years. Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help.
4 Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who had become a judge in
Israel.
5 She would hold court under the Palm of Deborah, which stood between
Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to
her to settle their disputes.
6 One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam, who lived in Kedesh in the land
of Naphtali. She said to him, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel,
commands you: Assemble ten thousand warriors from the tribes of Naphtali
and Zebulun at Mount Tabor.
7 I will lure Sisera, commander of Jabin's army, along with his chariots and
warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him."
8 Barak told her, "I will go, but only if you go with me!"
9 "Very well," she replied, "I will go with you. But since you have made this
choice, you will receive no honor. For the LORD's victory over Sisera will be
at the hands of a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.
10 At Kedesh, Barak called together the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, and ten
thousand warriors marched up with him. Deborah also marched with them.
11 Now Heber the Kenite, a descendant of Moses' brother-in-law Hobab, had
moved away from the other members of his tribe and pitched his tent by the
Oak of Zaanannim, near Kedesh.
12 When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount
Tabor,

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 13 he called for all nine hundred of his iron chariots and all of his warriors, and
they marched from Harosheth-haggoyim to the Kishon River.
14 Then Deborah said to Barak, "Get ready! Today the LORD will give you
victory over Sisera, for the LORD is marching ahead of you." So Barak led
his ten thousand warriors down the slopes of Mount Tabor into battle.
15 When Barak attacked, the LORD threw Sisera and all his charioteers and
warriors into a panic. Then Sisera leaped down from his chariot and escaped
on foot.
16 Barak chased the enemy and their chariots all the way to Harosheth-
haggoyim, killing all of Sisera's warriors. Not a single one was left alive.
17 Meanwhile, Sisera ran to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite,
because Heber's family was on friendly terms with King Jabin of Hazor.
18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come into my tent, sir. Come
in. Don't be afraid." So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a
blanket.
19 "Please give me some water," he said. "I'm thirsty." So she gave him some
milk to drink and covered him again.
20 "Stand at the door of the tent," he told her. "If anybody comes and asks you if
there is anyone here, say no."
21 But when Sisera fell asleep from exhaustion, Jael quietly crept up to him with
a hammer and tent peg. Then she drove the tent peg through his temple and
into the ground, and so he died.
22 When Barak came looking for Sisera, Jael went out to meet him. She said,
"Come, and I will show you the man you are looking for." So he followed her
into the tent and found Sisera lying there dead, with the tent peg through his
temple.
23 So on that day Israel saw God subdue Jabin, the Canaanite king.
24 And from that time on Israel became stronger and stronger against King Jabin,
until they finally destroyed him. (Jud. 4:1-24, NLT)

This story reads like a great dramatic presentation. It has the battle, the ironies,

the foes, and the foibles of the heroes. It speaks of triumph and tragedy at the same time.

Let's study the text like the drama that it is.

SETTING THE STAGE

As already noted above, this was a time of religious wavering on the part of the

Israelites. They worshipped Yahweh and prospered, in their prosperity they forgot God

and worshipped other false gods. Then God withdrew His hand of protection and enemy

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forces overran Israel, or at the very least, harassed Israel year after year until they cried

out to Yahweh again. God heard them and raised up a deliverer, usually referred to as a

"judge."

The fourth chapter of Judges begins by telling us that Ehud, the previous judge

had died and, predictably, they began to worship the false gods. As a result God allowed

Jabin, a Canaanite king of Hazor, to ruthlessly harass Israel for twenty years. Jabin's

army was impressive. Lead by Sisera, it had nine hundred iron chariots, the equivalent of

having nine hundred A-1 Abram tanks in our day. Israel, on the other hand, did not have

chariots of iron,

SCENE ONE—THE HEROINE, DEBORAH

Israel brought this upon themselves through their sinful behavior and yet when

they turned to God and cried out to Him for mercy, He responded by raising up another

judge. This judge was a prophetess named Deborah. God found in her someone who

could still hear His voice when He spoke. Deborah was apparently recognized and

honored as a judge and prophetess because we are told that people came to her for her

judgment on various issues. Her courtroom was not a grand building, but a tree, the Palm

of Deborah, under which she sat in judgment on various local issues.

There are not many women in Scripture who held such a prestigious position, and

yet there are enough to demonstrate that God has no qualms about using women in

positions of spiritual leadership when the need arises. Women such as Miriam (Ex.

15:20), Deborah (Jud.4, 5), Huldah (2 Kn. 22:14; 2 Chron. 34:22), Esther (Esth.), the

Marys of the New Testament, Lydia (Ac. 16) and Priscilla (Ac 18) all speak volumes

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about the truth penned by Paul that with God "there is neither male nor female" but we

are "all one in Christ" (Gal. 3:28).

REFLECT: Can you think of some women who were great national leaders? What

enabled them to rise to positions of power? Have you known women pastors whose

leadership had a profound impact on their denomination or movement? Was there

anything about these women which was any different than great men of faith of their

time? Are you comfortable following a woman as a leader? Are the prejudices against

women in leadership cultural, biblical, or both?

ENTER BARAK

God did not call Deborah to become a military leader like Joan of Arch. Instead,

God told her to send for a man named Barak, our hero of faith. Barak himself did not

hear the voice of God, but he did acknowledge that Deborah heard and spoke for God.

So when she called, he came, and when she spoke he listened.

I recall my own call to ministry. I was sensing in my spirit the call to pulpit

ministry but I only spoke of it to the pastor. He offered me opportunities to speak and to

teach. After one such service another minister who was visiting and who knew nothing

of my own sense of calling, spoke prophetically that God had indeed called me and

would use me for His glory if I was faithful.

Unfortunately, I later strayed from Christ and was living in sin when I met the

woman who would later be my wife. The first year of our marriage was so rough that we

both knew that only God could save it, so we responded to the grace of God and returned

to church. Shortly thereafter I again began to feel the call of God to ministry. Ashamed

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of my recent failures, however, I questioned whether God would want to use me in

ministry. A year later, after much prayer and study, I again told my pastor (the same

pastor I had spoken to earlier) that I felt that God was still calling me into pulpit ministry.

He was a gracious man who, after a year of working faithfully with him and the church,

afforded me another opportunity to stand behind the pulpit.

That Sunday morning there was a new couple and their family visiting. I had

never met them before and I'm sure they had never even heard of me. Yet, following the

morning service the wife stopped me and my wife and said, "I have a word for you from

the Lord."

To be honest, I am often skeptical when people I've never met and about whom I

know nothing, stop me tell me that they have a word from the Lord for me. After all,

can't God speak directly to me? The truth was, I was still struggling with going into

ministry, still wondering how or why God would use me.

I stopped and told her to tell me what it was. She began to speak and her words

were almost exactly the same as the minister had spoken to me almost two years earlier.

God knew I needed to hear Him confirm through the mouth of another, that which He

was already laying on my heart. He had not removed His calling from my life. Like

Jonah, the word of the Lord came to me the "second time" (Jon. 3:1).

Through Deborah God told Barak to muster an army of ten thousand. He told

Barak that if he would go up and engage the army of Jabin with all the chariots and

warriors, He would give Barak the victory.

If we were looking to Barak for a great response of faith demonstrated by an

immediate and determined response to the Word of the Lord, then we are disappointed.

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Barak, recognizing that Deborah was God's servant, said he would go, but only if

Deborah went with him. This was unheard of. A man asking a woman to go to war with

him. But give Barak credit for seeing God at work in this woman of faith.

Where is Barak's faith in this? His faith is in the fact that he will obey the

command of the Lord and be willing to break with convention and culture and take the

woman of God into battle with him.

Recognizing the gifts and calling of God in the lives of others is an asset. Being

willing to allow others to function in their gifts without being jealous or envious is

gracious. And being able to go to war against overwhelming odds is an act of faith.

REFLECT: Are you actively involved in a ministry? If so, when did you know where

God was leading you and how was this "calling" confirmed? Has God ever used you to

confirm His calling in someone else's life?

There is a catch for Barak. Since he was not willing to go to war without Deborah

by his side, the ultimate triumph of killing the commander of the opposing army would

go to yet another woman and not to Barak, who was leading Israel's army. Barak did not

protest. He seemed content just to be victorious and he did not argue over who got the

honor.

SCENE THREE—THE BATTLE

Barak did as the Lord instructed. He mustered the army of ten thousand and led

them to slopes of Mount Tabor. When Sisera heard of this he called up all his troops

and all nine hundred chariots of iron. When they came marching from Harosheth-

haggoyim into the valley of the Kishon River Deborah, acting as God's mouthpiece, gave

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the order to attack, "Get ready! Today the LORD will give you victory over Sisera, for

the LORD is marching ahead of you."

True to His word, when Barak lead his men down the slopes against Sisera and

his army, the Lord put fear and panic in their hearts and they fled instead of fought. One

thing that everyone knows about a chariot is that it is a powerful weapon on the attack,

the front is armored, but when retreating the enemy becomes an easy target. Barak

pursued the enemy and every single one of the warriors was killed except Sisera.

SCENE FOUR—JAEL, THE WOMAN WHO NAILED HER PART

Sisera leaped from his chariot and fled on foot. We don't know how far he ran,

but in his exhaustion Sisera accepted the invitation of a woman whose family was known

to be friendly with Jabin. The woman was named Jael, whose name means "wild goat."

Sisera was at the point of exhaustion so he accepted her invitation to come in and

rest. The scene has all the elements of a great tragedy. She appeared to be giving him

comfort. His vulnerability and request for a drink of water seemingly arouse feelings of

pity for this desperate man. She gave him milk and covered him with a blanket. Then

Sisera fell to sleep.

Why Jael decided to kill Sisera is not known. There is even some debate as to

whether or not she was a Jew. She was married to a Kenite, which were among the

nations given into the hands of the Israelites (Gen. 15:19), her family was on friendly

terms with Jabin, and yet she moved with deadly stealth to kill the commander of the

armies of Jabin.

The scene was gruesome. Sicera slept on the floor of the tent as Jael silently

slipped over to where he lay. Then with the only weapon at her disposal she took a tent

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peg and a hammer, she put the stake to his temple and with one fatal blow drove the stake

through his head and into the ground upon which he slept. It is very likely that Sisera

never knew what hit him. The death was virtually instantaneous and painless.

After killing all of the enemy’s warriors, Barak had time to look for Sisera. He

tracked him to Jael's tent. Jael went out to meet Barak saying, "Come, and I will show

you the man you are looking for." Going into her tent Barak found Siscera "dead, with a

tent peg through his temple."

The prophecy of Deborah had been fulfilled just as she had spoken it. The victory

was given to Israel by the hand of the Lord, and the captain of the enemy's army had been

killed by a woman.

Again, where is Barak's faith in all this? First, in recognizing the hand of God

upon the woman of God. Second, in his willingness to let the honor be given to another,

even a woman, so long as the victory was won. And third, in his obedience to do what

the Lord commanded.

REFLECT: Has your faith ever been challenged by a sermon? Have you ever been

called to a task in the church by someone who was not recognized as a "leader" in the

church? How did you respond? Do you have an official position in the church? Do you

have to have a position to be used to inspire or motivate others in ministry? What can

you do or say which would encourage others to continue in ministry when they are

discouraged and feel like quitting? Are you willing to do things for the Lord even if others

get more of the honor than you do?

SUMMARY

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 In chapter 5 we read Deborah's song. It is said that she and Barak sang it. The

song opens with a verse that is not translated very well in the King James Version, which

says, "Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered

themselves." Almost every other version of this text has some variation of the following

as translated in the New King James Version, "When leaders lead in Israel, when the

people willingly offer themselves, bless the LORD!"

That is a powerful verse. When leaders lead under the direction of the Lord, and

the people recognize that leadership and follow, God can reveal His glory in His people.

Barak had the faith to follow the leading of the Lord, and the faith to be a leader

of ten thousand. God was glorified, the enemy was terrified, and the people of God

realized the victory. We too, as God's people must have the faith to follow the leadership

which God establishes in the church. Paul said of God that He has ". . . set some in the

church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts

of healings, helps, governments . . . ." (1 Cor 12:28, KJV). Furthermore we told by the

Writer:

17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch
for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy,
and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you (Heb. 13:17, KJV).

Sure, it takes faith to follow when we believe we know a better way. It takes faith

to submit to those whom God has placed in positions of leadership in the church. But be

very sure of this, God is in control and He takes very seriously the sin of lifting up our

hand against God's anointed and appointed men and women. True enough, I believe that

every man and woman in ministry is anointed, this is not reserved for the clergy, but by

the same token it does not exclude the clergy.

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 Faithfulness to God is measured, in part, by how we respond to those whom He

has given the charge and care of our souls, just as they will answer to how fully they have

discharged their duties as undershepherds of the flock of God.

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 CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Verses 32c-34
Samson: Faith on the Rebound

Heb. 11:32-34 (KJV)

32 And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of
Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises,
stopped the mouths of lions,
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness
were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Heb. 11:32-34 (NLT)

32 Well, how much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the
stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the
prophets.
33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what
God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions,
36 Quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their
weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies
to flight.

INTRODUCTION

Now let me ask you, does Samson fit the modern idea of a great man of faith? He

was a playboy, boastful, arrogant and loud, yet here he is listed with men like Abraham

and Moses. If Moses was a meek man of faith, Samson was at the other end of the

spectrum. The idea that we get from this list of names in the hall of faith is that you can

be a great man or woman of faith and still not be above failure. The lesson to be learned,

however, is that great men and woman of faith never give failure the final word.

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 Samson's example of faith shows us that while it is possible to fall away, to lose

the anointing, a repentant heart can find faith on the rebound and turn the defeats into

victory. He shows us that its not the size of the man in the fight, but the supply of the

Spirit in the man that matters most when the enemy comes looking for a fight.

Furthermore, he shows us that faith in God can break the bands and free our hands to

accomplish great things for God.

THE SPIRIT'S TAPPING

Let's go back and look at the life and faith of the man called Samson. The record

of Samson's life and feats is longer than that of any of the other judges encompassing

chapters 13 through 16. Chapter 13 of Judges opens like many others, Israel is

experiencing God's judgment because of their unfaithfulness to Him. They cry out, God

hears, and in His mercy prepares a deliverer:

2 In those days, a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of
Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children.
3 The angel of the LORD appeared to Manoah's wife and said, "Even though
you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and
give birth to a son.
4 You must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink or eat any forbidden
food.
5 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be
cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will rescue
Israel from the Philistines."
6 The woman ran and told her husband, "A man of God appeared to me! He was
like one of God's angels, terrifying to look at. I didn't ask where he was from,
and he didn't tell me his name.
7 But he told me, 'You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must
not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink or eat any forbidden food. For
your son will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from the moment of his birth
until the day of his death.'” (Judg. 13:2-7, NLT)

The angel of the instructed Manoah's wife that their son would be born into a

Nazarite vow. This is a vow that included certain dietary restrictions along with the

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requirement that Samson never cut his hair. The parents agree and nine months later their

baby boy was born.

Though Samson is often depicted in Christian and traditional literature as a big

muscular man, Jewish tradition maintains that Samson was, by all accounts, an average

sized man of his day. His appearance would not have drawn ooh's and ahh's from an

adoring following. The record is clear, Samson was able to do what he did as a direct

result of the anointing of God coming upon him.

Verses 24 and 25 give us some insight into the early life of Samson:

24 When her son was born, they named him Samson. And the LORD blessed him
as he grew up.
25 And in Mahaneh-dan, which is located between the towns of Zorah and
Eshtaol, the Spirit of the LORD began to take hold of him. (13:24-25, NLT)

As Samson grew, the Lord blessed Him, that is, protected and provided for the

boy and his family. This indicates that the Spirit of the Lord was becoming more and

more prevalent in the life of Samson. It is not as though he woke up and the Spirit was

suddenly there one day, but the Spirit began to tap on Samson's shoulder and make him

aware of the Spirit's presence. The words, "began to take hold" are from the Hebrew

word pa'am which is from a primitive root word meaning "to tap, or to beat regularly."

Like Samson, men and women of faith need to recognize the finger of God

tapping on our shoulders.6 It is said of Jesus, Himself, that as a child He ". . . grew, and

waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him" (Luke

2:40, KJV).

6
The "Spirit of God" and the "finger of God" are used synonymously by the Gospel writers:
"But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you" (Matt 12:28,
KJV). Compare, "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come
upon you" (Lk. 11:20,KJV)

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 Every Born Again believer lives with the presence of the Holy Spirit. He is the

Comforter who leads and guides the believer into truth. He is the presence which

emboldens the believer to accomplish great things for God. It was not the man Samson

who killed the lion and defeated the Philistines, it was the Spirit of God in him.

REFLECT: After you were initially "saved" did you recognize the tapping of the Spirit on

your heart? Was His presence a new and exciting experience? What about now? Does

the Spirit still tap? Is it stronger or weaker than when you first got saved? Why do you

think this is so?

WHEN THE SPIRIT TAKES CONTROL

In verse 6 of chapter 14, the writer of Judges tells us that something unique

happened in the life of Samson. The Spirit went from being a tapping presence to taking

control. Strangely, the Samson was coming back from a visit with his parents to the

Philistine city of Timnah. While there he saw a woman for whom he took a liking. His

parents were distraught at the thought of their son marrying a Philistine woman as

opposed to a Jewish woman. They were trying to dissuade Samson as they made their

way home.

His parents did not realize that even this apparent rebellion on the part of Samson

would fit into the plan of God. God would use this relationship as an occasion to create a

conflict between Samson and the Philistines and by the power of the Spirit Samson would

kill many of the enemy.

As Samson walked by the vineyards of Timnah a loin lunged out after him. At

that moment, apparently for the first time in his life, "the Spirit powerfully took control of

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him." With the Spirit upon him, Samson was able to something he could never have

done without the power of the Spirit.

This marks a distinct change in the operation of the Spirit of in Samson's life.

This is a fitting analogy to the relationship of the Spirit in the life of a believer. The

Spirit is present in the life of every believer, and yet there another dimension, a taking

control, by the Spirit. Jesus said "and ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is

come upon you" (Ac. 1:8).

REFLECT: What do these verses mean to you?

John 14:17, “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth
him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you,
and shall be in you” (KJV).

Luke 24:49, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the
city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (KJV).

Acts 1:5, “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy
Ghost not many days hence” (KJV).

Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye
shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (KJV).

FAITH COMING OUT OF THE CLOSET

The fledgling faith of Samson in this instance is in recognizing the power of the

Spirit and then acting upon that power. It takes faith to be baptized into the power of the

Holy Spirit and then it takes continued faith to recognize the Spirit's leading. Finally, it

takes faith to put the power of the Spirit into action.

The Spirit took control of Samson and killed a lion. Later, when confronted by

angry Philistines, the Spirit of the Lord again came upon Samson and he killed thirty

men.

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 Unfortunately, Samson was a sucker for a woman's tears. The woman who was

betrothed to Samson betrayed his trust and ended up marrying his best man. But God

used the occasion to cause Samson to start harassing the Philistines.

When Samson found out that his fiancée had been given in marriage to another

man he set the fields of the Philistines, along with their vineyards and orchards, on fire.

This in turn caused the Philistines to kill the woman and her father and to conspire to kill

Samson as well. Samson, who apparently still loved the woman, then turned his fury

upon the Philistines themselves and killed many of them. Then he went to live in the

cave of the rock Etam.

While he was in hiding the Philistines started attacking the town of Lehi in Judah.

This obviously bothered the men of Lehi who went to Samson to capture him and turn

him over to the Philistines. Samson agreed to go peacefully with the men of Judah on the

condition that they would not attempt to kill him.

Samson was bound by ropes and delivered to the Philistines, but again this was all

in the plan of God. When Samson saw the Philistines coming, verse 14 of chapter 15

tells again that "the Spirit of the Lord powerfully took control of Samson." Samson,

under the anointing did that which he could not do in the flesh. He broke the ropes which

bound him and with nothing more than the jawbone of a donkey Samson killed a

thousand Philistines.

REFLECT: Have you ever been in a situation where you felt the anointing presence of

the Holy Spirit come upon you and allow you to something which you could not, or would

not, have done otherwise? How do you recognize this empowering presence?

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 After the battle Samson was exhausted and thirsty. He literally felt as though he

was about to die of thirst and so he called out to God. God responded by causing water to

gush up from a hollow in the ground at Lehi.

Chapter 15 ends by telling us that Samson ruled as judge for twenty years and yet

it also tells us that the Philistines ruled the land. Apparently the Philistines were willing

to declare a truce with Samson rather than risk the death of another thousand men.

SAMSON'S DOWNFALL

With all the victories which the Lord had given Samson we might have expected

him to have been a man of virtue. Instead he frequented prostitutes and fell in love with

another Philistine woman, Delilah.

The Philistines found a friend in Delilah. They convinced her to betray Samson

by getting him to tell her the secret of his strength. Three times Delilah begged Samson

to tell her the secret. Three times Samson lied to her. Each time he told her a lie the

Philistines followed up by trying to rob him of his strength and capture him. After the

first or second time, one would have thought that Samson would have caught on to

Delilah's deceit. By the third time we could expected to see Samson toss Delilah out on

her ear. But the fourth time she cried and begged for the secret, Samson told her the

truth. He had made a vow with God and the symbol of that vow was his uncut hair. If

his hair were ever to be cut it would symbolize the severing of that vow.

True to form the Philistine sent a man to cut Samson's hair while he slept with his

head in Delilah's lap. Then, to test the truth of this secret source of strength and to

determine if Samson had finally told the truth Delilah ". . . cried out, 'Samson! The

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Philistines have come to capture you!' When he woke up, he thought, 'I will do as before

and shake myself free.' But he didn't realize the LORD had left him" (Judg. 16:20, NLT).

This is a sad commentary on Samson, the Spirit of the Lord had departed and

Samson didn't even recognize it. The life of Samson is a warning to the church that it is

possible to fall to sleep with our head in the lap of the enemy and not even realize that

while we sleep our strength is being cut away. What is even more tragic is that we could

wake up and continue to do what we always done and realize that the anointing of the

Spirit is no longer there.

REFLECT: Do you recognize when you are growing spiritually weak? What are the

secrets to spiritual strength? How much of what you now do for the Lord could you

continue to do even if the Spirit of the Lord departed?

FAITH ON THE REBOUND

After capturing Samson the Philistines proceeded to gouge out his eyes and thrust

him into prison. They bound him to a mill and used him as a beast of burden to grind

their grain. But while he was in prison his hair grew back, and more importantly he

rediscovered his faith.

23 {Samson's Final Victory--} The Philistine leaders held a great festival,

offering sacrifices and praising their god, Dagon. They said, "Our god has
given us victory over our enemy Samson!"
24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, "Our god has
delivered our enemy to us! The one who killed so many of us is now in our
power!"
25 Half drunk by now, the people demanded, "Bring out Samson so he can
perform for us!" So he was brought from the prison and made to stand at the
center of the temple, between the two pillars supporting the roof.
26 Samson said to the servant who was leading him by the hand, "Place my
hands against the two pillars. I want to rest against them."

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 27 The temple was completely filled with people. All the Philistine leaders were
there, and there were about three thousand on the roof who were watching
Samson and making fun of him.
28 Then Samson prayed to the LORD, "Sovereign LORD, remember me again.
O God, please strengthen me one more time so that I may pay back the
Philistines for the loss of my eyes."
29 Then Samson put his hands on the center pillars of the temple and pushed
against them with all his might.
30 "Let me die with the Philistines," he prayed. And the temple crashed down on
the Philistine leaders and all the people. So he killed more people when he
died than he had during his entire lifetime.
31 Later his brothers and other relatives went down to get his body. They took
him back home and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, where his father,
Manoah, was buried. Samson had been Israel's judge for twenty years. (Jud.
16:23-31, NLT)

Even after great failures God can use the man or woman who is willing to repent

and return. Samson was willing to die for the faith. He pleaded with God for one more

change to avenge the Philistines for gouging out his eyes. God heard his prayer and by

pushing against the main support beams of the arena into which thousands of Philistines

had gathered he brought down the house.

REFLECT: Have you ever failed God and wondered if He could ever use you again to

serve Him? What did you do? Have you ever seen other people fall from faith and then

seen come back to do a great work for God?

SUMMARY

There are many examples of men in Scripture who failed miserably and were later

used of God. The list of such men include great men like David, John Mark, and Peter.

Sometimes it takes as much or more faith to rebound from failure than it did to succeed

in the first place.

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 Samson's eyes were blind, but by faith he saw a great victory over the enemy of

Israel. Before he toppled the house he had already seen through eyes of faith what no one

else could see.

Sometimes our natural eyes can impede the view through spiritual eyes of faith.

We look with our eyes and listen with our ears when we should be hearing the Spirit

speaking to our heart, or allowing the Word of God to speak to our heart. Faith in God

can enable us to rebound from the deepest depths and allow us to reach the highest peaks

of the presence of God, but before we achieve those peaks of power we have to believe

that we can ascend the heights while we are yet in the valley.

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 CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Verses 32d-34
Jephthah: Faith To Rise Above Rejection

Heb. 11:32-34 (KJV)

32 And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of
Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises,
stopped the mouths of lions,
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness
were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Heb. 11:32-34 (NLT)

32 Well, how much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the
stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the
prophets.
33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what
God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions,
37 Quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their
weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies
to flight.

INTRODUCTION
Another name which many modern faith teachers would not have included in the

Hall of Faith is that of Jephthah. Unfortunately, Jephthah is known more for his rash vow

which brought dire circumstances upon his family, than he is for the great obstacles he

overcame, and the great victories in battle he saw by faith. Yet Jephthah's example

teaches us that despite humble beginnings and social disdain, faith can enable us to rise

above and triumph over every obstacle. Jephthah's story, like so many of the heroes of

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faith, is the story of the underdog whom God made mighty. Let's go back and look at his

story of faith.

1 Now Jephthah of was a great warrior. He was the son of Gilead, but his
mother was a prostitute.
2 Gilead's wife also had several sons, and when these half brothers grew up,
they chased Jephthah off the land. "You will not get any of our father's
inheritance," they said, "for you are the son of a prostitute."
3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Soon he had a
large band of rebels following him.
4 At about this time, the Ammonites began their war against Israel.
5 When the Ammonites attacked, the leaders of Gilead sent for Jephthah in the
land of Tob. They said,
6 "Come and be our commander! Help us fight the Ammonites!" (Jud. 11:1-
6, NLT)

FAITH RISING ABOVE REJECTION

Contrary to what some my believe, faith does not begin with the future, it begins

where you are and then looks out at the horizon of opportunities. A man lost in the dark

on the flat plains of Kansas may look out and see the lights of several different homes or

towns. The possible directions may span 360 degrees and yet whatever his choice may

be the journey begins with where he is. Faith is not a denial of the realities in which we

find ourselves, but a journey toward the possibilities which God lays before us. Faith

stands squarely on the problem and reaches beyond that which we can see and seizes the

answer.

Jephthah's reality was that he had a lot going against him from the day he was

born. He was born to prostitute. During a time when inheritance of land or wealth was

paramount to the future success of a child, Jephthah's half brothers seized upon his

ignominious beginnings as an opportunity to cut Jephthah out of the inheritance picture.

They used force to "chase" him or "drive" him away from his home, his family and his

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inheritance. The picture of Jephthah fleeing from his brothers suggests that his very life

was in jeopardy if he had not left.

Jephthah fled to the land of Tob which was on the frontier of the Land of Promise.

He was as far from his family as he could get and yet remain within Hebrew territories.

As one might expect Jephthah found other outcasts in the area. Instead of sulking and

complaining about the unfairness of the conditions in which he now found himself,

Jephthah proceeded to gather the outcasts of the area into a band of warriors who

followed his lead. He left his home as a rejected and despised child of a prostitute but he

begins immediately to rise above his rejection and become a leader. The text indicates

that it didn't take long for Jephthah to find his fame as a leader of a large band of rebels.

As providence would have it, a war between the Ammonites and Israel began

about this time. Because of their location on the border of Israel, Jephthah and his men

were in a strategic location to engage in guerrilla warfare. No doubt they began to gain

fame from the fact that they were able to raid enemy villages and camps. Like Robin

Hood they became heroes for their daring feats of faith.

When the war with the Ammonites began the leaders of Gilead sent an entourage

to Tob to find and recruit Jephthah to become their commander. What a turn of events,

he went from being a reject to becoming a man regarded as the best hope for Israel in

their war with the Ammonites. How did Jephthah go from being a social reject to a

sought after leader? The Writer of Hebrews is telling us that it was by faith. Not faith in

self, or faith in the system, but faith in God.

It takes faith to rise above rejection and turn lemons into lemonade. It runs

contrary to our emotions, when we are rejected, to believe that we can and will prevail.

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But when our confidence is in the providence of God and the power of God we can

believe that He will plead our cause and He will turn our trials into triumphs.

REFLECT: How do you handle rejection? Does it make you bitter and resentful, or have

to learned to let it make you better and respectful? How do you pray when you have

faced rejection? How do you react to those who have rejected you? Now compare your

reaction to that of Christ as the very people He had come to love and save rejected Him.

Are you Christ-like in your response to rejection?

FAITH RESISTING REVENGE

Can you believe it? Some of the very people who had rejected Jephthah and

drove him from his home were now coming with hat in hand begging him to be their

commander. What an opportunity to get even. What an opportunity to seek revenge and

to get even for the unfair way in which they had treated him. But if there was an urge to

seek revenge Jephthah resisted it.

7 But Jephthah said to them, "Aren't you the ones who hated me and drove me
from my father's house? Why do you come to me now when you're in
trouble?"
8 "Because we need you," they replied. "If you will lead us in battle against the
Ammonites, we will make you ruler over all the people of Gilead."
9 Jephthah said, "If I come with you and if the LORD gives me victory over the
Ammonites, will you really make me ruler over all the people?"
10 "The LORD is our witness," the leaders replied. "We promise to do whatever
you say." (Judg 11:7-10, NLT)

Jephthah's reply indicates that some of his brothers were now leaders in Gilead,

they had risen to positions of prestige and yet they were powerless against the

Ammonites. There is also the possibility that the leadership of Gilead at the time

Jephthah was driven from his home, were complicit to the actions of his brothers.

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Jephthah asks, "Aren't you the ones who hated me and drove me from my father's

house?"

We can see them looking down, refusing to make eye contact as they shift

nervously at the indictment. What brash and unabashed presumption on the part of

these leaders. Jephthah challenges them, "Why do come to me now that you're in

trouble?"

At least they were honest about their motives. Their reason was extremely self-

serving, "Because we need you!"

Knowing what their rejection of Jephthah had cost him they quickly added the

promise that if he would lead them against the Ammonites they would make him their

leader, "ruler over all the peoples of Gilead." The fruit of faith in spite of rejection was

about to ripen before his eyes. By continuing to believe and to be bold Jephthah was

about to receive the reward.

Knowing their propensity for subterfuge and subversive tactics Jephthah asked

them to repeat the promise which they did and added to the promise the witness of

Yahweh Himself. This was a binding and irrevocable vow before man and God. If

Jephthah accepted their offer we would we be promoted to a place of prominence in

Gilead, the very people who had driven him away.

These are the divine reversals which God gives to men and women whose faith

prevails over rejection and which leave the vengeance to God. Faith doesn't engage in

petty schemes to get even. Faith doesn't live in anger and hatred. Faith doesn't dream of

the day when we can point our finger in the face of our false accusers and say, "I told you

so!" No . . . faith finds hope and help in hand of God. Faith prevails not by being petty

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and vindictive, but by being noble and forgiving. We are not fighting against flesh and

blood but against a spiritual enemy. Faith trusts God to balance the books and to handle

the issues of judgment. God alone reserves the right to repay our enemies for the wrongs

we have suffered. The Apostle Paul makes this very point to the Christians of Rome:

19 Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, "I
will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it," says the Lord.
20 Instead, do what the Scriptures say: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If
they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of
what they have done to you."
21 Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good. (Rom 12:19-
21, NLT)

REFLECT: Have you ever had the opportunity to get even with someone who really did

you dirty? What did you do? Have you ever turned all the hurt and hatred over to God

and seen Him handle the situation? Who does a better job at dealing with those who

have hurt you, God or you? Is God's primary objective in dealing with someone who

has hurt you evening the score or using your love and forgiveness to bring them into the

family of God? Have you ever done something that wounded the heart of God? How

did He deal with you?

FAITH REACTING RESPONSIBLY

Faith is not about rushing out and presuming things about God which are not of

God. Faith acts and reacts responsibly to the challenges of life. The response may be

daring and may defy reason, but faith always reacts responsibly by listening to the Word

of God and accepting the will of God as the way to proceed.

Jephthah, even though he as a man of valor and not afraid of the fight, began his

command with a reasoned response to the accusation from the King of Ammon that Israel

had stolen Ammonite land. Jephthah explained very clearly that, first of all, it was not

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the land of the Ammonites but of the Amorites that had been won in battle. Furthermore,

Jephthah noted that the God of Israel had given them the victory and so it was God,

Himself, who had given Israel the land. And Jephthah gave the king of Ammon this

challenge, "You keep whatever your god Chemosh gives you, and we will keep whatever

the LORD our God gives us" (v. 24). This had been Israel's land for three hundred years

and they had no intention of giving it back.

The king of Ammon ignored Jephthah's message. As a result, war was inevitable.

Like all great men of faith Jephthah's source of strength and charismatic source of

leadership was in the anointing of the Spirit of the Lord upon his life. After receiving

rejection to the rational response to the overtures of war, Jephthah is empowered by the

Spirit to lead the men into war. He mustered an army from the land of Gilead and

Manassah and lead them into battle against the Ammonites.

One glitch in the account is an overzealous vow made by Jephthah just before he

lead the army to war. He said to the Lord, "If you give me the victory over the

Ammonites, I will give the LORD the first thing coming out of my house to greet me

when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."

Unless Jephthah made it a habit to have cattle or flocks in his house, there was

nothing which would come out of his house which would have been an acceptable

sacrifice. Dogs, cats, rats, mice, and especially people were not permitted to be given as

sacrifices. What was he thinking?

REFLECT: Have you ever made a "rash vow"? Have you ever promised something to
God which you probably should not have promised? Does faith require us to appease
God? Do feel like you have to give something to God before God will answer your

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prayers? According to the Apostle Paul (Eph. 2:8) faith itself is a gift from God. If God
gives us the faith to believe, then what can give God as an inducement to give us the
answers to our prayers?

The only two sacrifices which we now give to God are ourselves as "a living

sacrifice" (Rom. 12:1) and the "sacrifice of praise" (Heb. 13:15). Jesus gave Himself as

our sin sacrifice and through Him we have access to the Father. Faith is not based on

what we can give, but upon what Jesus has already given for us. When we give ourselves

to His service and when we glorify Him by our praise we are not doing so to appease God

but we do so because our faith has already claimed the benefits of the Cross.

FAITH RECEIVING THE RIGHT RESULTS

When our faith is in God we can trust Him to secure the right results. In the

church I pastor the mantra which I constantly repeat before the congregation is that

everything God does is right and He's always right on time.

Jephthah's vow may have been rash and he may have been wrong in making the

vow, but God gave the right results. Jephthah went to battle by faith and the victory was

won. God can use the faith which we have, imperfect though it may sometimes be, and

do great things. If we had to have perfect faith before God would move then how many

of the men and women in the Hall of Faith would have achieved anything of notoriety for

God: Lying Abraham? Lying Isaac? Deceiving Jacob? Questioning Gideon? Often we

are like the desperate father and the best we can offer is, "Lord I believe, help thou mine

unbelief!"

Imperfect though our faith may sometimes be, the power of faith is in the fact that

it is focused on the power and wisdom of Him who is perfect. Sometimes we don't even

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know how to pray so the Holy Spirit takes our groans and turns them into prayers which

He will answer (Rom. 8:34).

SUMMARY

When Jephthah returned home the first thing to walk out of his front door was his

daughter. She was coming out to celebrate her father's victory. She was Jephthah's only

child and when he saw her he began to grieve.

Scholarship is split on whether he actually offered her as a human sacrifice to the

Lord and in so doing blatantly broke the Law of Moses which prohibited such a sacrifice,

or whether he committed her to the Lord's service and, as such, to a pledge of perpetual

virginity. The argument for both views can be convincingly made from the language of

the text. For my part I will not enter the debate but leave it for other's to consider.

The point of the Writer is that Jephthah is an example of faith. He rose from

rejection to a position of prominence "by faith." The lesson for all believers is that it is

not we where we start from which will determine our destination, but the faith by which

we walk. By faith God can take us from anywhere and take us somewhere. By faith God

can take nobody's and make somebody's.

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 CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Verse 32e-34
David: Faith To Prevail

Heb. 11:32-34 (KJV)

32 And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of
Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises,
stopped the mouths of lions,
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness
were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Heb. 11:32-34 (NLT)

32 Well, how much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the
stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the
prophets.
33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what
God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions,
38 Quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their
weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies
to flight.

INTRODUCTION

Like Abraham and Moses, David is one of the central figures both of Jewish

history, but of New Testament Messianic promises. Just as the promise of Deuteronomy

18:18 was that God would "raise up a prophet like you [Moses] from among their fellow

Israelites" (NLT); and the promise to Abraham was that in his "seed" (meaning Jesus

according to Paul, Gal. 3:16), "all the nations of the earth shall be blessed" (Gen. 22:18),

David too received a Messianic promise. The promise and covenant that God made with

David is recorded in 2 Samuel 7:12-14:

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 12 When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your
seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his
kingdom.
13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his
kingdom forever.
14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. . . . (KJV).

Jesus is the fulfillment of each of the three promises above. In fact, Jesus is

referred to as "the son of David," several times in the New Testament. So the faith of

David, like that of Abraham, was a faith that looked forward to the Messiah. So much so

that many of the Psalms attributed to David are Messianic Psalms.

WHEN FAITH PREVAILS

Unlike some of the other heroes of faith whose faith was found weak and grew

strong, David was filled with faith from his youth. How do we know this? David's own

testimony to Saul when he was trying to convince Saul to let him fight Goliath. He said:

37 “The LORD who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save
me from this Philistine!" Saul finally consented. "All right, go ahead," he said.
"And may the LORD be with you!" (1 Sam 17:37, NLT)

In fact, David had come to the military encampment to bring cheese and crackers

to his brothers because David, himself, was not yet old enough to be in the army. This

means that at the time of his triumph over Goliath, David was just a teenager. Yet by this

time David has already had his faith formed and confirmed in pastures watching his

father's sheep. David gives the credit for his deliverance from the claws of the lion and

bear to God. It was faith at work at an early age which had resulted in a mature

confidence in God. The older man, King Saul, did not have the faith of the young

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shepherd boy. The combined army of Israel did not have the faith which this one boy,

without shield or sword, had in the Lord.

I've heard one testimony after another of men and women who had their young

children pray for them and they were healed. Faith can be fostered early in the lives of

our children when we make them aware of the things which God has done and is doing

for us. Who knows but what the faith of a child may be the very faith which sparks a

revival in our home or in our church. Jesus said, ". . . unless you turn from your sins and

become as little children, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3,

NLT).

REFLECT: How old were you when you first gave your heart to Christ? Has your faith

grown stronger or weaker since then? How can you help your children, or children of the

church, develop the kind of faith David had? Are there any youth in your local church

who have David-like faith? Have you encouraged him or her lately?

David's testimony convinced Saul to allow him to go out with nothing but a

slingshot against a giant. That was some testimony! We ought to be encouraging our

youth to testify, it might surprise and inspire us older folks. David, however, did not

view himself as naked before Goliath, he saw himself as clothed in the presence of God.

He told Goliath:

45 "You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the
name of the LORD Almighty-- the God of the armies of Israel, whom you
have defied.
46 Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head.
And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild
animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel!

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 47 And everyone will know that the LORD does not need weapons to rescue his
people. It is his battle, not ours. The LORD will give you to us!" (1 Sam
17:45-47, NLT)

That is an awesome statement of faith. David was seeing things which were not,

as though they were. David came wrapped in the name of the Lord and declared that

Goliath wasn't just taking on Israel, or a young boy, but he was taking on the very God to

whom they belonged. When the victory was won, the whole world would know that

"there is a God in Israel."

In one of the early Psalms attributed to David, Psalm 23, he wrote, "He leadeth

me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake" (v. 3). When God gives a promise, He

is putting His reputation as God on the line. The function of our faith, then, is to trust

God and walk in His promises.

David, through faith, killed Goliath and his name was celebrated in the streets of

Israel. In fact, he was being given more press than Saul who allowed jealousy to rise up

and torment him for the rest of his reign on the throne. David, for over seven years

would live with a death warrant hanging over his head. Yet even during the day when we

lived on the run from Saul, David matured in his faith and grew into manhood.

WHEN FAITH FAILS

Like so many of the members of the Hall of Faith, David had his failures too. As

is too often the case, success can become intoxicating. David had lived on the run for

most of his young adult life and now as he approached middle age he was going to enjoy

the fruit of his fortunes. The story begins in verse 1 of Second Samuel chapter 11. The

writer notes that was it during the time of the year when the kings go to war to encourage

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and to fight along side their men. But instead of going to the front, David sent someone

else, Joab.

The faith of others along with our own can result in great miracles in our lives.

And it is even shown from Scripture that the faith of others on our behalf can bring about

miracles in our life. But there will always be those times and places when we cannot

depend upon the faith of others, it will be our faith and our faith alone which will be

tested in the fiery trials and we will stand or fall by what we believe. David sent

someone else to do his job and as a result, David was conquered by lust.

David was lounging on the terrace of his palace, looking out over the kingdom

below him when he spotted a beautiful woman bathing upon the terrace of her own home

below. Why she would bath in such a conspicuous manner we do not know. Perhaps she

thought that no one could see her. Or perhaps she knew someone would. (There is never

any hint in the record that David forced himself upon her.) David's faith failed. By this I

do not mean that God failed, but that David had failed to faithfully fulfill his obligation as

king, he failed to remain faithful to his family, and he failed to remain faithful in his walk

before God. Instead of having faith to overcome the lust in his own heart, he failed to

turned away and instead sent for Bathsheba.

The story is sad and tragic. Bathsheba became pregnant by David while her

husband, Uriah (a Hittite fighting for David in the Israelite army), was at war. David

tried to conceal the pregnancy by calling Uriah back from war hoping that he would go to

Bathsheba. But Uriah proved to be more honorable even than David and as a result,

David had Uriah sent to the front lines knowing that it would cost him his life. In

essence, then, David had Uriah killed.

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REFLECT: We know that God never fails but have you ever failed to believe? Have

you fallen to sin because you did not remain faithful? If so, what did you learn about

yourself and about your faith as a result? Have you ever known someone whom you

greatly respected who forsook their faith to follow sinful desires? How did it make you

feel? Did you say anything to them? If so, how did they respond?

FAITH THAT TRAVAILS

David thought he had gotten away with murder. The dirty deed was done and he

was convinced that no one was any the wiser. David's heart was far from God at this

time, however, God was intimately aware of what David had done. God sent his prophet

Nathan to confront David. Nathan told a story of a man who had a lamb, a pet which was

like a child. A rich man had some guests over and wanted some mutton so he took the

poor man's lamb and served it to his guests.

The story is gripping and compelling and it produced the intended result, it

brought David face to face with his own failure. Upon hearing the story, David

demanded to know who the man was, pronouncing judgment upon him. Nathan (a

character study in faith himself) looked David in the eye and boldly declared, "Thou art

the man!" (2 Sam. 12:7, KJV).

If we pause here for a moment and compare the sin of Saul with that of David we

might wonder why Saul suffered such a terrible fate while David was allow to continue

as king. Saul had failed to faithfully fulfill the word of the Lord concerning the

disposition of the animals and all the people of city which his army had destroyed. God

told him, through Samuel, to destroy every living creature. Saul saved the best of the

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sheep and cattle, and the king, Agag, alive (1 Sam. 15:8-9). When confronted by Samuel

with his failure to fully obey the Lord, Saul began to make excuses. This is the

difference between Saul and David. David confessed and repented while Saul made

excuses.

It is not the size of the sin which will land a man in hell, but the failure to face his

sins, confess his sins and make and about-face from his sins. Was David's sin worse

than Saul's? I'm sure that Uriah would have said it was. Yet, Saul ends up as a tragic

figure while David goes down in the annals of history as a man of faith, a man after God's

own heart (1 Sam. 13:13, Ac. 13:22, KJV).

David, by being confronted with his own failure, was slapped by the hand of God

back into reality. David acknowledged his sin and repented before the Lord. It is

believed that Psalm 51 is the written prayer of David following his conversation with

Nathan.

The King James Version is a beautiful rendition of this prayer:

1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according

unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou
mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou
shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter
than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may
rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

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 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto
thee.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my
tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt
offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O
God, thou wilt not despise. (KJV)

This is a prayer that travails before God. It is a prayer which pours out the hurt

and the disappointment of having sinned against the one whom David loved the most,

God. It is a prayer of faith for it believes that even after having fallen so far, God's love

and His hand could still reach him and pick him back up.

I remember the mid to late eighties when it seemed one tele-evangelist after

another was falling. Recently I was at a large pastor's conference and one of those

evangelists (who ultimately did some time in prison) was there. It was very evident that

this man had confessed and repented. To be honest I had never cared much for his

flamboyant and extravagant lifestyle before his moral failures were revealed to the world;

but seeing him and hearing him after the fall, I have come to respect him more than ever.

He sincerity and humility drape him in a dignity that his expensive suites could not. He

has renounced his “hyper-faith" teachings and now has a balanced and biblical look at

prosperity and faith. He may have fallen, but real faith reached up and found the Father

ready to dust him off and reclaim a life which the world had written off.

REFLECT: Sometimes Christians fail. We don't have to, in fact, the Bible teaches that

we can and should live above sin. Yet the fact is that Christians do sometimes fail. How

does the Bible tell us to treat a brother or sister who is "overcome in a fault" (Gal. 6:1)?

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If you have ever failed God miserably as a Christian, was it difficult for you to come back

to the throne of grace and obtain mercy? Why or why not?

SUMMARY

The study of David's life gives a complete picture of the spectrum of faith. From

youthful strength and vigor, to a middle-aged crisis, to restoration, to family crises and

rebellious children, David's example reveals that faith does not exempt us from problems,

but it always provides a way of escape.

Being a man of faith, even being a man after God's own heart, does not require

perfection, but it does require humility and honesty before the Lord who searches the

heart of man. The Writer tells us that we are all naked before the eyes of Him with whom

we have to do (4:13). There is nothing hidden from God's eyes and so even when we fail,

our faith must travail until again the power of the nail prints in His hands wipe away

every sin and stain.

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 CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Verses 32f-34
Samuel: Faith To Hear and Fear

Heb. 11:32-34 (KJV)

32 And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of
Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises,
stopped the mouths of lions,
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness
were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Heb. 11:32-34 (NLT)

32 Well, how much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the
stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the
prophets.
33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what
God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions,
39 Quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their
weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies
to flight.

INTRODUCTION

Samuel is a study, "par excellence", in faith and faithfulness. Most of the heroes

of faith are listed along with their failures; Joseph is one exception and Samuel another.

He is bold, consistent and consecrated to God. He anoints kings and pronounces

judgments. He has a faith which hears God speak and fears God enough to obey Him

when He does.

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 In many ways Samuel's birth is prototypical of John the Baptist. John's parents

had been barren until God miraculously provided the child. John was anointed from

youth to be a prophet. He denounced the corruption within the established religious

community. He prepared the way for the Son of David to increase while he decreased.

And finally, John baptized Jesus, an event which was immediately followed by the Holy

Spirit anointing Jesus for the initiation of His public ministry.

Let's go back, now and look at how Samuel's life and faith prefigures that of John

and provides fitting culmination of the list of names in the Hall of Faith.

FAITH TO HEAR

Hannah was barren and she was tired of it. Her husband, Elkanah, had children

with his other wife, Penninah, and she let Hannah know it. Although Elkanah showered

Hannah with love and affection she felt inferior to, and mocked by, Penninah. So

Hannah did what any woman of faith would do, she took it to the Lord in prayer. She

began by vowing that if God would grant her a son, she would in turn, give that son back

to God by dedicating him to service in the tabernacle. Then she went to the tabernacle

where she prayed in her heart.

There is a lot being said about speaking things into existence and the power of

words, but Hannah's request was not spoken aloud. She mouthed the words of her

prayers with such passion that the priest, Eli, thought she was drunk. When she told him

that she was grieving and pouring out her soul before the Lord, Eli replied, "In that case,

cheer up! May the God of Israel grant you the request you have asked of Him" (1 Sam.

1:17, NLT). She never told Eli that she had been praying for a child.

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 Shortly thereafter Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son whom she named,

Samuel, which means, "heard of God." Interestingly, Samuel would become a man who

heard God and whom God heard.

When he was old enough to commit to tabernacle service Hannah kept her vow

and turned him over to the care of Eli. Eli, however, was not a model father. His own

sons, Hophni and Phinehas, committed gross sins within the tabernacle itself and he did

not take decisive action to end it. Instead, Eli lectured them a little and warned them, but

the law dictated that these sons be severely punished. They got drunk and had sexual

liaisons with women just behind the tent flaps of the sacred meeting place. God finally

sent a prophet who pronounced judgment upon the two sons (1 Sam. 2:18-36).

In the midst of this turmoil there was a young boy who was growing in stature and

in faith before the Lord. Because of the failures of the priesthood and the general sinful

state of Israel at this time, prophetic messages from God were very rare. There was a

famine of the hearing of the Word of the Lord. Yet in the midst of this famine God found

a young man of faith. God found a pure heart and sincere soul through whom He could

work and reveal His will to the people.

Against this backdrop, then, it is understandable that while Samuel had the faith

to hear what others were not hearing, he did not recognize who was speaking. The Lord

spoke his name, "Samuel, Samuel!" Naturally, Samuel thought it was Eli calling him and

he immediately when to see what it was that Eli wanted. But Eli had not called Samuel.

The same thing happened a second time and then a third. By the third time Eli realized

that it must be the Lord calling the young apprentice. He wisely instructed Samuel to

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reply, "Speak Lord, your servant is listening." This Samuel did and God told him that

judgment upon Eli and his family was immanent (1 Sam. 3:1-14).

I've never heard an audible word from God, and I certainly would not put myself

on the same platform with Samuel, but I recall an experience from my youth which I

have never forgotten. My mother brought me up in church—my father never attended

church or professed faith in God. She took the lead and saw to it that we prayed and were

instructed in Scripture. One night I lay sleeping in the back bedroom of our little house

in West Virginia when I was awaken by a vivid dream of Jesus. I opened my eyes with

my heart pounding and saw an image which I recognized to be Christ. With Him was a

small child. At first I thought I must have still been dreaming so I literally pinched

myself, and sure enough, I was awake. I looked again and the image was still there, like

a holographic image standing beside my bed. At first I started to become frightened,

much like the disciples who saw Him coming toward them walking on the water, but

when I considered that it was Jesus my heart calmed. Peace came over me as the image

remained. All this took only seconds. Then in my curiosity I reached out my hand to

touch them (Jesus and the child). When I did my hand passed through them both and

gradually the images dissolved with the face of Jesus being the last thing to disappear.

To this day I am not sure what the significance of the child in the vision was. My

mother had a baby who died before I was born. Perhaps Jesus was bringing him so see

me. Sounds fantastic, I know, but it happened. I cannot forget that vision and I will

never doubt the presence of Jesus with me, even when I cannot see Him except through

eyes of faith.

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REFLECT: Have you or someone you know ever heard the Lord speak in an audible

voice? How does hearing a voice, or seeing a vision affect our faith? What did the Lord

mean when He told Thomas, "Blessed are those who have not seen me and yet believe

anyway" (Jn. 20:29)? How does the definition of faith given by the Writer of Hebrews

complement the words of Jesus?

FAITH TO FEAR

Samuel slept in late that morning, no doubt avoiding Eli. This was not a pleasant

message to deliver. But Eli insisted that Samuel tell him what the Lord said. Samuel

feared the Lord more than man, and even though it was not a popular message to speak,

Samuel told the truth.

I pastored a military church in Kansas where our congregation was very diverse

and there was an African-American brother who sat near the front of the congregation

where he would encourage me while I preached. He would point his finger at me and

shout out, "Tell the truth, Mark, tell the truth." That's what preaching we are called to do

isn't it? It's not a political speech to gain popularity or votes. It's not entertainment or an

exercise in intellectual prowess. Preaching, in its most basic form, is nothing more than

telling the truth in love. It takes faith in God. Faith, first to know that you have heard

from God, and faith, second, to have the courage to speak for God.

Sometimes the message of the man of God cuts like a sword. It is an awesome

responsibility for a preacher to be given a Word of correction to deliver. If he has a heart

for the flock the man of God will go to the pulpit with a heavy heart. The man or woman

who delights in using the pulpit for a whipping post is hireling. It is a true prophet, like

Jeremiah or Habakkuk, whose heart grieves while he or she bring the chastising Word of

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the Lord to the children of God. To this day I will sit down and cry with my children

after I have corrected them.

Samuel took no delight in what he had been called upon to say, yet he spoke the

Word. This was a small beginning, a test perhaps, to see if Samuel would be faithful. He

was.

Eli received the Word resolutely. His response was, "It is the Lord: let him do

what seemeth good to him" (1 Sam. 3:18, KJV).

REFLECT: Have you ever had to tell someone the truth even though you knew it was

going to hurt them? Did you pray about it first? What did you pray for? The Apostle

Paul tells us to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). Can you love someone and not tell

them the truth when they need to hear it?

FAITHFUL THROUGH THE YEARS

Samuel continued to grow as a prophet. The Word says:

19 The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall
to the ground.
20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as
a prophet of the LORD.
21 The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to
Samuel through his word. (1 Sam 3:19-21, NIV)

As the years passed Samuel became the transitional figure in the history of Israel.

He was the last of the judges and he was the first to anoint a king over Israel. Ironically,

Samuel, like Eli before him, had two sons, Joel and Abijah, whom he appointed as judges

in Israel. Like Hophni and Phinehas, Samuel's son were corrupt. "They turned aside

after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice" (1 Sam. 8:3, NIV).

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 As a result of the behavior of Samuel's sons the people decided it was time for a

king. It must have been something of an affront to Samuel when the people made the

request. Samuel had faithfully declared the Word of the Lord for many years and yet

Israel looked at other nations around them and desired to be like them, they wanted a

king. Samuel told them that this was not what God had intended for them, but He would

grant it. Samuel listened to the Lord and anointed Saul to be king (1 Sam. 10:1).

Saul was a tall man and, based primarily upon his appearance, was a popular

choice among the people. Saul won the people's choice award and he began with a very

humble spirit. When the day of his coronation arrived, he couldn't be found because he

had hidden among the baggage. But as history has repeatedly shown, power tends to

intoxicate and with the wine of self-indulgence and to grow gardens of pride in the hearts

of men.

It was a sad day for Samuel when he would again have to deliver a message of

correction. Saul had disobeyed the Word of the Lord concerning the disposition of the

animals after their battle with the Philistines:

13 "You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the
LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your
kingdom over Israel for all time.
14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after
his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not
kept the LORD's command." (1 Sam 13:13-14, NIV)

As a result of Saul's sin and his excuses the Lord declared that Saul's kingdom

would not be allowed to pass into the hands of his sons. Instead, the kingdom would be

established through another household. But Saul wasn't through with his presumptuous

sins and self-excusing folly. A second time God sent Saul to battle with specific

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instructions. Saul and his army was to attack Amelekites and to utterly destroy every

living thing in the city, every human and every animal. Samuel was very clear and

concise in his instructions.

Saul simply could not take God at His Word; he always seemed compelled to try

to push the boundaries and to make compromises. Saul kept the best of the sheep and

cattle and allowed king Agag to live. This time the Lord went a step farther, He had

already removed the kingdom from Saul's lineage, this time the Lord removed His Spirit

from Saul from being king over Israel (1 Sam. 15).

REFLECT: I've always believed that anytime we are tempted to sin there are two things

present, an excuse and an escape. God provides the escape and Satan provides the

excuse. The choice as to which we will take is ours. Have you ever found yourself

making excuses for your failures? If so, what did it take to get you to acknowledge your

sin and seek repentance?

The Lord sent Samuel to anoint yet another king over Israel. This was not the

people's choice, this was God choice. The people wanted a man with a commanding

presence and impressive stature, but God wanted a man with a humble and obedient

heart. God sent Samuel to the house of Jesse.

The process by which David was chosen is a wonderful story. Apparently David,

the youngest of Jesse's sons, was not even invited to the party. He was content to stay in

the fields with his father's flocks. As Samuel, now and old man, sat with Jesse prepared

to anoint a new king, Jesse made the most obvious decision to send his oldest and

probably the largest son, Eliab, out first. Samuel took a look and thought, "Surely this is

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the Lord's anointed" (1 Sam. 16:7, NLT). But the Lord said to Samuel, "Don't judge by

his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn't make decisions the

way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at a person's

thoughts and intentions" (1 Sam 16:7, NLT).

One after another the sons passed by until all those who were present had gone

by. But each time the Lord said, "Neither hath the Lord chosen this" (KJV). Samuel had

to trust the Lord to make the right decision. Who would he choose? Samuel asked Jesse

if he had any more sons, Jesse said, "Just the youngest, he's out with the sheep." Samuel

said, "Send for him." When the young teenager approached Samuel, the old man of God

heard what others would not have heard, God said, "Arise, anoint him: for this is he" (1

Sam. 16:12, KJV).

It takes faith to go against everything your eyes the people around you are telling

you. The appearance of the older brothers and their presentation by their father suggested

that one of these sons was the one to be anointed, but God choose the least likely

candidate. God loves taking nobodies and making somebodies.

REFLECT: Have you ever gone against popular opinion to stand up for what you

believed was God's will? How did people respond? Did God vindicate> your faith in

Him? How?

SUMMARY

If there is one blemish on Samuel's record, it would be his sons. After seeing the

results of Eli's failures as a father one would have thought that Samuel would not have

made the same mistake. Perhaps his sons simply took advantage of their father's age and

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did these things behind his back. But the people knew of the sins of the sons. Also, it is

true that the children of even the best of parents can make bad choices and follow a path

which leads them far from the footsteps of their father.

From childhood to senior adulthood, Samuel was a man who had faith to hear

what others could not hear, and he had faith to fear God and therefore was not afraid of

man. Saul could have had Samuel killed for anointing another king, but Samuel put his

life on the line and followed the will of God.

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 CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Verses 32g-34
The Prophets: Faith To Prevail

Heb. 11:32-34 (KJV)

32 And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of
Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises,
stopped the mouths of lions,
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness
were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Heb. 11:32-34 (NLT)

32 Well, how much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the
stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the
prophets.
33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what
God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions,
40 Quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their
weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies
to flight.

INTRODUCTION

In his summary of other men and women of faith the Writer simply lumps a

significant group into one word, “prophets.” When considering the report of the elders as

examples of faith the prophets stand as awesome studies in faith. By prophets, the Writer

probably has in mind those prophets whose written works are included in the cannon of

Jewish Scripture. He has begun with elders from the Books of Moses, then from Joshua,

Judges, the historical books, and logically, the books of the prophets follow. Some of the

acts of faith that he lists in verses 33 and 34, lead the reader to recall specific acts of some

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of the prophets. Shutting the mouths of lions, quenching the flames of fire, and escaping

the death by the edge of the sword recalls some of the acts of the prophets. As the Writer

says, “time would fail” to tell of the exploits of all the prophets so let’s abbreviate our

study by looking at the faith of the “major” prophets, namely, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel

and Daniel. Each one had a ministry which was birthed in faith and nurtured in

obedience.

ISAIAH’S FAITH TO GO FOR GOD

Isaiah was a prophet who had access to the king’s court. He had been a friend to

King Uzziah and was experiencing a time of grief and loss when, as he was praying in the

temple, Isaiah had a profound and life-changing vision of God. Isaiah gives the account

of his call in chapter 6:

1 In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty
throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.
2 Hovering around him were mighty seraphim, each with six wings. With
two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with
the remaining two they flew.
3 In a great chorus they sang, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
4 The glorious singing shook the shook the Temple to its foundations, and
the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke.
5 Then I said, “My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a
member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD Almighty!”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew over to the altar, and he picked up a
burning coal with a pair of tongs.
7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips.
Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to my
people? Who will go for us?” And I said, “Lord, I’ll go! Send me.” (NLT)

During a time of national political and moral crises Isaiah was in the Temple

praying, seeking personal peace and consolation from the Lord. Uzziah had been, by

most accounts, a good and a moral king in Judah. Who would take his place? Would

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Judah return to the Lord with all her heart or continue to compromise and placate foreign

powers? With these questions on his heart he looked up to see an awe-inspiring vision.

The vision is filled with sites and sounds that elicit a response from Isaiah which reflects

his faith in the face of uncertainty.

With the throne of Judah empty Isaiah came to the house of the Lord where he

saw the Lord sitting on a lofty throne. The robe of the Lord filled the Temple and the

angelic beings, identified as seraphim, flew around throne Lord singing a chorus of praise

and honor to the Lord. The vision could do nothing else but remind Isaiah who is really

in control and whose sovereign power never diminishes, not even when good leaders die.

Isaiah responded, as we would expect him to respond in the face of such a vision,

he cried out in confession and repentance, “My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful

man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD Almighty!”

This confession reflects the humility and reverence of Isaiah before the Lord. These two

qualities are marked many of the great men and women of faith.

Then the Lord, Himself, spoke. He asks to the host of heaven, “Whom should I

send as a messenger to my people? Who will go for us?”

This is a rather impressive question? Yet it is a question which is repeated each

time we are in a position to faithfully declare the message of hope. Each time we have

the opportunity to proclaim the Good News the question hangs in the air above us like a

neon sign piercing through the fog, “Whom should I send as a messenger to my people?”

The question at that moment is, “Will you tell the Good News? Will you be my

witness?”

Isaiah’s lips had been symbolically and spiritually cleansed, his sin was purged

and he was thus prepared to faithfully speak the Word of the Lord. Accepting and

acknowledging this purging Isaiah stands ready to be God’s spokesman. Isaiah’s

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response is one of faith, “Lord, I’ll go! Send me.” The nation is in crisis, the message

was one of judgment, the people would not believe and the ministry of Isaiah would not

soften the hearts of the people, but “harden” their hearts.

Isaiah was faithful in his calling and was not a popular man in his own time.

Telling people that judgment is coming because of their sins is not going to get you many

kudos from congregation. In chapter 37 verses 37 and 38 Isaiah mentions the death of

the Assyrian king, Sennacharib and so Isaiah must have lived to see the death of

Hezekiah. Some scholars believe that the reference in Hebrews 11:37, “sawn in two,” is

a reference to Isaiah’s death which tradition has it, was during the reign of Manasseh,

Hezekiah’s son, who is said to have killed Isaiah in a brutal manner.

REFLECT: How does Isaiah’s example speak to Christians today? Are there still

prophets today? Are they an elite group or are all Christians called to proclaim the

gospel? Has God ever had to remove something from your life before you could see

Him for who He is? If you had been standing in Isaiah’s shoes how do you think you

would have responded to the Lord’s question, “Who will go for me?” Is that how you

generally respond when you have witnessing opportunities?

JEREMIAH’S FAITH TO SPEAK FOR GOD

Like Isaiah, Jeremiah had a clear and distinct call into prophetic ministry. Unlike

Isaiah, Jeremiah didn’t volunteer without some convincing from the Lord:

4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest
forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and ordained thee a prophet unto the
nations. (KJV)

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 God told Jeremiah that He had preordained Jeremiah to be His prophet. This isn’t

an invitation it is a notification. It is as though Jeremiah is getting his draft notice:

“Congratulations! You’ve been chosen go to a hostile people and give them bad news.”

Jeremiah’s response indicates a lack of confidence in himself and in his ability to

speak for God. Jeremiah was probably a young man, perhaps even just a teenager, and

yet God gave him a call that would require faith and faithfulness to fulfill. The message

was doom and gloom for the people of Judah. Other prophets were declaring good news

and claiming that Judah had nothing to fear and in the face of these mature, if misguided,

men, the young man Jeremiah would have to stand and speak truth.

Jeremiah was roundly rejected and when the scroll upon which the scribe Baruch
had written Jeremiah’s prophecies was presented to King Zedekiah, Zedekiah was
blatantly hostile. He took the scroll and cut it column by column throwing each piece
into the fire as if to mock Jeremiah. Other times, however, Zedekiah sought the advice
and counsel of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah took no pleasure in the task God had given him. In several places

Jeremiah refers to his own tears as he weeps for his people. What an awesome burden to

see the judgment of God which was coming and yet, aside from pronouncing that

judgment, being powerless to stop a stiff-necked people who run blindly toward their

own destruction.

Jeremiah was a man of faith, and because he was a man of faith, he was

commanded not to marry of have children so that he could concentrate on the message he

was to deliver. Furthermore, he had few friends and was often treated with hostility by

the very people he endeavored to move to hear and repent at the Word of the Lord.

Instead, the people for whom he wept branded him as a traitor. He was imprisoned and

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lived under the threat of death for much of his ministry. Yet, Jeremiah pressed on and

proclaimed the word that the Lord placed on his heart and lips. He admitted that he tried

to hold this Word in, that is, to keep it to himself, but the Word of the Lord was “like a

burning fire shut-up in [his] bones” (20:9). He said that he grew “weary” with trying to

keep silent and in time he could do nothing else but to speak the Word of the Lord.

There is no direct record of the cause or time of his death, but there are hints (2

Chron. 35:25; 36:12-22; Ezra 1:1; Dan. 9:2) that he was killed by his own people. The

people for whom he prayed, even after God told him not to, and the people for whom he

wept even while they reviled him, these people so despised and rejected the Word which

the Lord had given him to speak that in the end they killed the messenger. Still, God’s

sovereign hand protected Jeremiah until the message had been delivered. Jeremiah’s life

was lived in the hand of God.

REFLECT: Do you think we will always enjoy doing what God calls us to do? Why do

you think Jeremiah didn’t just quit prophesying? Why do you think the people rejected

Jeremiah’s message so violently? Does having faith always mean that you will be

speaking a “positive” message? Does having faith guarantee protection from the hands

of sinners?

EZEKIEL’S FAITH IN EXILE

Ezekiel first served the Lord in Jerusalem as a priest in the Temple. He grew up

during a time of turmoil in Jerusalem as the armies of Babylon were moving in the

direction of Judah. By his twenties the fall of Jerusalem was immanent.

Like Isaiah and Jeremiah, before him, Ezekiel was divinely called into prophetic

ministry. He saw what he described as “a wheel in the middle of a wheel” (1:16). From

the midst of the mysterious chariot, God spoke to Ezekiel:

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 1 “Stand up, son of man,” said the voice. “I want to speak with you.”
2 The Spirit came into me as he spoke and set me on my feet. I listened
carefully to his words.
3 “Son of main,” he said, “I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a nation
that is rebelling against me. Their ancestors have rebelled against me from the
beginning and they are still in revolt to this very day.
4 They are a hard-hearted and stubborn people. But I am sending you to say
to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says!’
5 And whether they listen or not—for remember, they are rebels—at least
they will knew they have had a prophet among them.” (Ez. 2:1-5, NLT)

God went on to tell Ezekiel not to fear his countrymen. Even though they will

threaten him and reject him and his message, he must not fear them, he must follow the

will of the Lord. Ezekiel’s message (like that of Jeremiah’s whose ministry he

overlapped for a few years) was not popular.

Judah and its capital city, Jerusalem, fell to the hands of the Babylonians.

Ezekiel’s wife was killed, perhaps during the raid and destruction of the Temple (24:1,

15-17) and Ezekiel was carried into captivity. Yet, far from being silenced, Ezekiel

continued to speak for God to a demoralized remnant of Judah. He message was both

one of accountability and of hope. He challenged the exiled people of Judah to accept

personal responsibility for their sins and the judgment they now endured. But he also

spoke of a day of restoration when a faithful remnant would return to rebuild Jerusalem

and restore the Temple.

In a vision that has inspired many a tired and weary pastor, the Lord brought

Ezekiel to a field of dry bones. The Lord asked Ezekiel a faith stretching question, “Son

of man, can these bones become living people again?” To which Ezekiel responded, “O

Sovereign LORD, you alone know the answer to that” (37:3, NLT).

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 The vision of bones was symbolic of the nation of Judah. They appeared to be

done as a nation. They had been defeated, pillaged and pulled from their homeland.

They looked dead as a nation, but the question is, “Can they live again? Can the people

of Judah be restored?” Ezekiel, great man of faith that he is, did not respond with a

positive confession, he simply answered, “Only you know the answer to that Lord.”

God told Ezekiel to preach to the dead bones. (A lot of pastors have been there!)

God instructed Ezekiel to tell the bones that they would live again. As Ezekiel spoke the

words which the Lord told him to speak, the bones were covered with muscle and skin,

and finally, with breath. They rose up as a mighty army.

God explained the vision to Ezekiel. Just as the bones in the vision had come

back to life, Judah would live again as a nation on their own land. This illustration, both

of the bones and of the people of Judah, serves to remind us that even when it looks like

all hope is gone, faith remains “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things

not seen.”

REFLECT: Ezekiel was a man of faith and yet his wife was killed and he was carried into

captivity. How do you explain that? How would you have responded to God if He had

asked you if those bones could live? Have you ever experienced a situation that looked

hopeless and yet you trusted God and maintained your hope in Him? Did you see God

work it out, or are you still believing God to work it out? How do you explain your hope

to others who don’t understand the power of God and His ability to turn things around?

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DANIEL’S FAITH TO STAND

Daniel, like Ezekiel, was carried into captivity by the Babylonians. It was a

strategic policy for the Babylonians to carry the most influential, educated or skilled men

into captivity first. Daniel, therefore, may have been from an important family in

Jerusalem. Daniel may have only been a teenager when he, along with Hananiah,

Mishael, and Azariah were taken into Babylon. Daniel rose to excel all the other wise

men and soothsayers of the kingdom.

Standing in the Face of Compromise

Because of his commitment to God and the Law of Moses Daniel refused to eat

the standard diet given to notable captives:

8 Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself by eating the food and wine
given to them by the king. He asked the chief official for permission to eat
other things instead. (Dan. 1:8, NLT)

At first the chief official refused for he was afraid that Daniel and the other three

Hebrew men would lose their healthy appearance. The Babylonians treated notables and

men who were believed to be especially talented or wise, very well. They were used in

the administration of the vast Babylonian Empire. Daniel eventually talked the chief

official into letting him and the other Hebrew men eat a kosher diet as a test. For ten

days the Hebrews ate food which was in keeping with Jewish dietary laws. At the end of

the ten days Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the

young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king” (1:15, NLT). Daniel’s

faith in God prevailed and it became an opportunity for him and the other three Hebrews

to prove God.

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 Standing Where Others Have Fallen

The second test of faith came when Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled

him. The trouble was that he could not remember the dream and yet he wanted to know

what the dream meant. He brought in magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers

and demanded that they tell him what he dreamed and what it meant. The men whom

Nebuchadnezzar had called insisted that what the king asked was impossible. How could

they interpret a dream when they didn’t know what the dream was? As a result the king

sent out a decree to have all magicians, sorcerers, astrologers and the like killed. As the

authorities went out to gather up any and all men who fit this description Daniel and his

friends were on the hit list. When he heard of the situation he went to his friends and

asked them to pray with him that God would reveal the dream and the meaning to him.

That night God gave Daniel the revelation he had prayed for.

The next day Daniel sent word to the king that he could provide the information

which the king asked for. In light of the failure of all the other wise men the king himself

could scarcely believe Daniel. Daniel declared:

27 “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can tell
the king such things.
28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King
Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your
dream and the vision you saw as you lay on your bed. (Dan. 2:27,28, NLT)

The king recognized that Daniel was telling the truth and as a result he recognized

and honored the God of Israel. He said to Daniel, “Truly your God is the God of gods,

the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret”

(Dan. 2:47, NLT).

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 Then the king appointed Daniel to the position of ruler over the entire province of

Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon (v. 48).

Standing to Read the Writing on the Wall

A fourth opportunity for Daniel to demonstrate his faith in God came as a result

of Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Belshazzar’s, drunken feast. In his arrogance Belshazzar

called for the gold and silver vessels which had been taken from the Temple in Jerusalem.

He, along with his lords, wives and concubines, proceeded to drink wine from them. As

they drank they praised the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone. But the

party was interrupted when the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and began to write a

message in the plaster of the wall in the king’s palace.

No one could interpret the meaning of the writing. Belshazzar was filled with

fear and consternation at the words on the wall. Again, the king’s wise men could not

decipher the meaning and the king became even more troubled. Then the queen mother

came to Belshazzar and told him of a similar incident that had happened to her husband,

Nebuchadnezzar. She said to her son, “There is a man in our kingdom in whom is the

Spirit of the Holy God . . . he will give the interpretation” (5:11-12, NKJV).

Again Daniel, a man full of faith and the Spirit of God, stood before a king to tell

him what no one else could tell him. The message was one of judgment upon Belshazzar

and Daniel had to have enough faith in God to stand and speak the truth. The kingdom of

Belshazzar had been weighed in the balance and found lacking. The days of the kingdom

were numbered.

That night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans was killed and Darius the Mede,

leader of the Persian Empire, became ruler over the defeated Babylonian Empire.

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 Standing for a Higher Law

Over the years men who had been shown up by Daniel and his God became

jealous and envious. They put together a plot to have Daniel killed. These men noticed

that it was Daniel’s custom to pray three times a day with his windows open. The king,

who had honored Daniel by making him a governor over local leaders and other

governors, probably knew nothing of Daniel’s custom. The other governors and local

leaders came to Darius in a false show of honor and convinced him to make a thirty day

decree which would make it illegal to pray too or petition any other god except King

Darius. The king swept up in their plot signed the decree which, with his signature,

became binding so that not even he could reverse it.

Daniel knew of the decree, but Daniel decided that there is a higher law and

higher loyalty than any which a man could put into affect. Knowing the penalty was to

be thrown into a lions’ den for praying to God Daniel opened his window, as he always

did, and began to pray. The wicked men were waiting and all too willing to go running

with the news to King Darius that Daniel had broken the law. Darius was angry with

himself for signing the decree and yet, by the laws of the kingdom, he was powerless to

reverse his decision.

Daniel was thrown into the den of lions with the prayer of the king being, “May

your God, whom you worship continually, rescue you” (6:16, NLT). The king was

tormented at the thought of Daniel being killed by the lions. He didn’t sleep that night

and very early the next morning he rushed to the mouth of the den and called out in

desperation, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you worship

continually, able to rescue you from the lions?” (6:20, NLT).

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 Much to the delight and relief of the king a voice came up from the den, “Long

live the king! My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not

hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your

Majesty” (6:21-22, NLT).

The king ordered that Daniel be lifted out of the den and the light revealed that

there was not a scratch on the man of God. The tables were then turned on the wicked

men. The king ordered that all those who had tricked him, along with their families, be

thrown into the lions’ den. As they were tossed into the den the lions tore them apart

before they hit the floor.

Daniel’s faith, like that of his three friends who were thrown into the fiery furnace

for refusing to bow to an idol set up by King Nebuchadnezzar, demonstrates that when

we believe God and trust in all circumstances, we can stand for what is right even if it

means going against man made laws. Faith in God holds to a higher law that no social or

political position can nullify. Every time a man or woman of faith stood for God, they

found God standing with them. He was in the furnace with Hananiah, Mishael and

Azariah. He was with Daniel in the lions’ den; He was with Jeremiah when he was

thrown into a cistern. He was with Isaiah and Ezekiel as they stood before the people to

proclaim a message that was not popular. Faith in God gives men and women the

backbone to stand straight and tell the truth in love.

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REFLECT: Daniel’s exploits are inspiring examples of what faith in God can

accomplish. He continually rose to positions of prominence in governments that were

sometimes hostile to his people and their God. When is the last time you had to stand

against the popular opinion and declare the truth of God’s Word; even though you knew

it might make you less popular? Are there any laws that you are aware of which run

contrary to your commitment to the Word of God? If so, how do you reconcile the

conflict? If there were ever a law passed which made prayer illegal would your current

level and commitment to prayer make you liable for conviction under the law?

SUMMARY

The examples from the prophets reveal that having faith is no guarantee that we

will be popular, or that we will escape persecution. Still, they show us that when we have

an awesome reverence toward God we will never have to live in fear of man. Further,

they show us that when we step out in faith and obedience God will stand behind the

Word that He gives us to speak. The question is whether we ever believe boldly and trust

God to confirm His Word with signs and wonders. Too often the Christian community is

guilty of qualifying every promise and providing a face saving way out for our

proclamations of faith.

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 I believe that every believer has been called to a prophetic ministry (compare

Jeremiah’s call in Jeremiah chapter 1, with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20),

as such we have been called to be lights shining in the darkness. As a

Priesthood/Prophethood of believers we are called to confront the world with its sins and

then to stand in the gap and intercede for that nation that God not destroy it. It might not

make us popular, it might, in fact, make us objects of public scorn and ridicule, but what

is the alternative? Should we be so concerned about being popular that we fail to speak

the very truth that will set men free? If so then we, ourselves, have fallen into the

bondage of fear when we should be walking in the liberty of faith.

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 CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Verse 35a
Women: Faith To Receive Dead Back To Life

Heb. 11:35a
Women received their dead raised to life again: (KJV)

Heb. 11:35a
Women received their loved ones back again from death. (NLT)

INTRODUCTION

The reference here, to “women receiving their dead raised to life again,” is

probably simply another example in the list of exploits accomplished by the heroes of

faith. In all likelihood it is not so much the faith of the women which the Writer has in

mind, but the faith and exploits of the prophets who attended to the amazing

demonstration of God’s power over death. Of all miracles, the miracle of someone

returning to life from death stands as an ultimate demonstration of God’s authority over

humanity’s greatest nemesis. In all there are ten accounts of people who were raised

from the dead:

1 Elijah raised the son of the Zarephath widow from the dead (1 Kgs. 17:17-22).
2 Elisha raised the son of the Shunemmite woman from the dead (2 Kgs. 4:32-35).
3 A man was raised from the dead when his body touched Elisha’s bones (2 Kgs.
13:20,21).
4 Many saints rose from the dead at the crucifixion of Jesus (Matt. 27:50-53).
5 Jesus rose from the dead (Matt. 28:5-8; Mk. 16:6; Lk. 24:5,6).

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 6 Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain from the dead (Lk. 7:11-15).
7 Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead (Lk. 8:41, 42, 49-55).
8 Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (Jn. 11:1-44).
9 Peter raised Dorcas from the dead (Ac. 9:36-41).
10 Eutychus was raised from the dead by Paul (Ac. 20:9, 10).7

Only three of these accounts come from the Old Testament, which is where the Writer is

drawing his examples. Of these three, two specifically speak of women or mothers of the

children who were raised. Let’s look at these two examples and explore the role both of

the mothers and of the prophets, Elijah and Elisha.

ELIJAH AND THE WIDOW OF ZAREPHATH

The first record in Scripture of a person being raised from death is found in First

Kings 17:17-24. The New Living Translation gives the account as follows:

17 Some time later, the woman’s son became sick. He grew worse and
worse, and finally he died. 18 She then said to Elijah, “O man of God, what have
you done to me? Have you come here to punish my sins by killing my son?”
19 But Elijah replied, “Give me your son.” And he took the boy’s body
and carried him up to the upper room, where he lived, and laid the body on his
bed. 20 Then Elijah cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, why have you
brought tragedy on this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son
to die?”
21 And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to
the LORD, “O LORD my God, please let this child’s life return to him.” 22 The
LORD heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he came back
to life! 23 Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to
his mother. “Look, you son is alive!” he said.
24 Then the woman told Elijah, “Now I know for sure that you are a man
of God, and that the LORD truly speaks through you.”

7
J. L. Meredith, Meredith’s Book of Bible Lists, (Bethany House Publishers, 1980),
p. 115.

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 There is, of course, a prelude to this story. It begins with Elijah declaring to

wicked king Ahab that it would not rain again in Israel except at his (Elijah’s) word. The

Lord then instructed Elijah to go to Kerith Brook near where it enters the Jordan River.

He was in hiding as a result of a death threat from the king, but God sustained Elijah with

water from the brook and meat brought in by ravens. After awhile, however, the drought,

which Elijah obediently spoke into existence, began to affect his brook until at last it too

dried up.

God spoke to Elijah and told him to go to the village of Zarephath where he

would meet a widow with whom he could stay and she would feed him. Based on this

instruction from the Lord we might have expected Elijah to find a woman of wealth who

was able to live unscathed by the famine. Instead, Elijah found a widow woman in

desperate circumstances. She was out “gathering sticks when he saw her and he asked,

‘Would you please bring me a cup of water?’ As she was going to get it, he called to her,

‘Bring me a bite of bread too.’” (1 Kgs. 17:10,11). Sounds like a man, doesn’t it?

“While you’re ups, could you fix me a sandwich

Her reply was that she only had a handful of flour and a little oil in the bottom of

the jar. Her plans were to cook the last of the flour with a fire from the few sticks she had

gathered, “and then,” she said, “my son and I will die.” (v. 12).

This is the woman who was going to take care of Elijah, a widow woman with a

child, no money, no food and apparently no hope? God must have a sense of humor. But

Elijah was indeed a man of faith, he didn’t waver for a moment, he simply said, “Don’t

be afraid! Go ahead and cook that ‘last meal,’ but bake me a little loaf of bread first.

Afterward there will still be enough food for you and your son” (v. 13).

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 Isn’t that just like a preacher? He wants the last spoonful of potatoes and tells you

to trust God to feed you. I’ve seen this very principle in action many, many times over

the last dozen or so years of ministry. I’ve seen people give their tithes when they didn’t

know where the next meal was going to come from, and I’ve seen God take care of them.

On the other hand, I’ve seen people hold back from God, rob Him of time, talent or

treasure and yet they still never have enough. They may have lived “high on the hog”

from the world’s perspective but the creditors were at the door because they were not

able to keep up with the payments for the luxuries they insisted they had to have.

God’s promise to this widow woman was that if she would feed the prophet first,

there would always be plenty of four and oil left in the canisters until the rain came again

and the fields began to put forth their yield. Her faith was being tested. Had she refused

to trust and obey God could have gotten someone else to feed Elijah, but this woman and

her son would almost certainly have died just as she had said.

Giving to God is not like playing the lottery. We don’t give because we hope to

strike it rich someday. Giving is an expression of thanks and an exercise in faith. We

give because we love God and we believe that He loves us enough to meet our needs. It

is when we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness that we have the right to

claim the promise that He will supply all the things we have need of (Matt. 6:33).

The woman did as the prophet asked and God did what He promised He would

do. Regardless of how much she used, or how many times she dipped and poured, the

woman always had plenty of meal and oil to feed herself, her son and the prophet. Which

brings us to our text.

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 The woman’s son grew sick and then died. The text states that the boy “grew

worse and worse.” This would indicate that this was a progressive illness and not a

sudden death. My question is why didn’t the Elijah pray for healing when the boy was

only sick? This incident sounds strangely familiar to the account of Jesus raising Lazarus

from death.

REFLECT: Has God ever asked you to give something you thought you couldn’t
live without? Did you obey Him? What was the outcome? If you had been Elijah
do you think it would have been easy to ask a widow woman to give you the last
of the food she had? Many denominations believe that tithing is a biblical
command which carries over into the New Covenant. Do you practice tithing? If
you do, how would you advise someone who tells you that they don’t have any
food in the house and the only money they have is their tithes? Should she or he
give their tithes? What is your or the church’s responsibility to a person who is in
this situation?

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

Some questions are better left unanswered. Why did the boy die? Some will

quickly answer that God allowed the boy to die so that the woman could be taught a

lesson. This is often the stock answer of friends who try to console us during our loss.

Many people will try to tell us that God took our child, or our job, or our spouse, so that

He could teach us something. I don’t buy that. I believe that it rains on the just and the

unjust (Matt. 5:45). I believe that tragedy can strike a Christian as sure as it can strike a

sinner, but I do not believe that God orchestrates these tragedies to teach us a lesson.

However, God can use anything that happens in life to teach us more about Himself,

about His love and His tender mercy. God can make all things work together for good

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when we love and serve Him (Rom. 8:28). This doesn’t mean that everything that

happens in our life is going to be good, but that God can take the worst that the devil

throws at us, weave it back into the tapestry of our life and the picture will still be perfect.

When I was a young boy, about four or five years old, I had an aunt who was

getting ready to bake something and she had out a freshly opened can of shortening.

When I saw the pure white swirl of grease, I didn’t know what it was but I knew it looked

good. I lingered underfoot while she tried to bake and I asked her if it was candy. She

has a mischievous streak in her so she said, “Yes. Would like some?”

“Oh, yes,” I quickly answered. So she took a spoon from the drawer and dug

down into the creamy white surface of the shortening and gave it too me. I took the

spoon proceeded to have a big bite of tasteless greasy shortening. There isn’t much taste

to it, but it sure is hard to get out of your mouth once you’ve had a bite.

Over the years I’ve done some baking and I always liked to make my own

piecrusts. They are nothing more than water, flour, salt, and shortening. Take any one of

these ingredients by themselves and they don’t really have much of a taste. But mix them

together and put the fire to them, fill them with filling and you have a pie, and pies taste

good.

The Bible never said that everything that happens in a Christian’s life is going to

be good or fair. It only says that God will take all the things of life and make them “work

together for good.” The fiery trials of life may bake “all things” into a faith that can hold

the blessings. It may come with trials and tribulation, but nothing can happen in our life

which God cannot work together for our good, and through the process teach us

something of Himself.

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 When the woman’s son died she didn’t take it gracefully. She blamed Elijah,

“Why have you done this to me?” Elijah, in turn, asked God, “Why have you brought

tragedy on this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?”

Elijah was a great man of faith, and yet even he seems to be puzzled by the turn of

events. For some reason we often seem compelled to try to answer all the questions. We

won’t stop asking, “Why?” even when there is no apparent answer. Often we become so

consumed with what we don’t know that we lose sight of what we do know.

I was sixteen years old at track practice when the call came. I wasn’t told much,

only that I was needed at my sister’s home. When I arrived I saw my brother-in-law with

his mother and father consoling him on the front porch. He was weeping as if his heart

would break. As I approached the home another relative came down to me and said,

“They found her dead in bed.”

“Who!?” I asked in panic.

“Melody,” he replied. Melody was my sister’s youngest child at that time. She

was three months old and died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (crib death).

I walked into the mobile home where my sister was sitting on the sofa with three

neighborhood ladies comforting her. When she saw me she got up and came to me where

she embraced me and weeping asked me the question, “Why did God take my baby? I

loved and cared for her. I clothed and fed her. Why did He take my baby when there are

people who abuse and torture theirs?”

I was only sixteen years old and I certainly had no theological point of reference

from which to attempt an answer. I had no answer, I could only hold her and cry with

her. I’m thirty-eight years old now with a Master of Divinity degree, I am a student of

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the Word and I’m working toward a Doctorate degree, but I still don’t know the answer

to her question. What I have learned is that we cannot allow ourselves to become so

preoccupied with what we don’t know that we lose sight of what we do know. I don’t

know why a lot of things happen. I know that God is sovereign and nothing happens

without His permissive will, and yet that leaves as many questions as it does answers. I

have had to look many people in they eyes and simply say, “I don’t know why.” It isn’t

what we do know that is most important, it is what we do know. Despite the storms and

trials, I know God loved me so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die for me. It

is what I do know which keeps me standing when the things I don’t know would try to

topple my faith.

The Apostle Paul said, “Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but

then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All I know now is partial and

incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now” (1

Cor. 13:12, NLT).

Despite imperfect faith on the part of the widow, and despite the confusion of

Elijah, God found faith in a man who had the courage to call upon Him to give life back

to this child. He laid upon the body of the boy, as if willing to trade his own life for the

life of the child, and prayed, “O LORD, my God, please let this child’s life return to

him.”

God heard and answered the prayer of His prophet and the child was returned to

his mother. As a result, her faith, like that of the father whose boy was delivered from a

demon (Mk. 9:24), was strengthened. God had indeed used this tragic circumstance to

teach her something. She said, “Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that

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the LORD truly speaks through you.” Her words intimate that she had doubts until

“Now.” After seeing this great miracle she now declares, “I know for sure.”

After Job had passed through the storms and unanswered questions of life and

death, God confronted him. God never answered Job’s questions. But for Job, once He

stood in the presence of God, the questions didn’t seem to matter much anymore. At the

end of the storm Job said, “I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you with

my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my

repentance” (Job. 42:5,6, NLT).

REFLECT: Have you ever been through a crises that looked as though it might crush
you, and just when you thought you could go no further, God delivered you? Can you
identify two or three things that you learned from that experience? Could you have
learned these things second hand, that is, by someone else telling you his or her story?

ELISHA AND THE SHUNEMMITE WOMAN

In this, the second account in Scripture of a person being raised from death, we

see the picture of woman who does, indeed, exercise faith on behalf of her child. This

woman was married and was a wealthy woman. This woman took the initiative and

asked Elisha to come and enjoy a meal with her and her family. In fact Elisha made it a

habit to stop by whenever he passed that way. This woman perceived that Elisha was a

prophet. She told her husband, “I am sure this man who stops in from time to time is a

holy man of God. Let’s make a little room for him on the roof and furnish it with a bed, a

table, a chair, and a lamp. Then he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by” (2

Kgs. 4:9,10).

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 Elisha wanted to bless this woman for her hospitality but when she was asked

what Elisha and the servant, Gehazi, could do for her she said that she was well taken

care of by her family and wasn’t in need of anything. Elisha, however, was determined

to bless this woman. He asked Gehazi if he had any ideas. Gehazi noted that she did not

have a son and her husband was growing old. This gave Elisha his answer. He called her

in and promised her that by the next year she would be holding a son in her arms. She

couldn’t believe it and told Elisha not to tease her. But sure enough, within the year she

had a son.

One day, however, as her son had grown older, he was working in the field with

the harvesters when he suddenly cried out, “My head hurts! My head hurts!” His father

told one of the servants to carry the boy home to his mother. He died in his mother’s

arms.

She immediately saddled up a donkey and rushed to see Elisha. Unlike the

widow of Zerapheth, this woman had great faith in the power of God working through the

prophet. When Elisha saw her coming he told Gehazi to go out and meet her and ask

how everyone in her family was doing. She answered that everyone was fine.

This wasn’t a lie on her part, this was faith. She counted those things which were

not as though they were. But when she got to Elisha she fell at his feet and said, “It was

you, my lord, who said I would have a son. And didn’t I tell you not to raise my hopes?”

(v. 28).

Elisha was going to send Gehazi to take his (Elisha’s) staff and put it on the face

of the child. But the woman said “As surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, I

won’t go home unless you go with me” (v. 30). Elisha agreed and went with her:

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 32 When Elisha arrived, the child was indeed dead, lying there on the
prophet’s bed. 33 He went in alone and shut the door behind him and prayed to
the LORD. 34 Then he lay down on the child’s body, placing his mouth on the
child’s mouth, his eyes on the child’s eyes and his hands on the child’s hands.
And the child’s body began to warm again! 35 Elisha got up and walked back
and forth in the room a few times. Then he stretched himself out again on the
child. This time the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes!
36 Then Elisha summoned Gehazi. “Call the child’s mother!” he said.
And when she came in, Elisha said, “Here take your son!” 37 She fell at his feet,
overwhelmed with gratitude. Then she picked up her son and carried him
downstairs. (2 Kgs. 4:32-37, NLT).

This was not Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation this was a miracle! This woman

exhibited faith from the moment her child died. She went straight to the man of God and

insisted that he come and pray for her child. Perhaps she had heard the story of the

widow of Zerapheth and how Elisha’s mentor, Elijah, had prayed life back into that child.

Likewise, it is almost certain that Elisha was intimately familiar with the account of

Elijah’s miracle.

Gehazi had gone ahead of the Elisha and the child’s mother and had laid the staff

on the child’s face. When Elisha arrived the word from Gehazi was to the point, “The

child is still dead” (v. 33). Elisha proceeded immediately to the child who was laying on

the bed which the woman and her husband had prepared for the prophet. Elisha’s words

are not recorded, though his actions are similar to those of Elijah and the result is the

same, the son is raised back to life.

REFLECT: How do you account for the contrast between these two women? Who is the

first person you call when you are facing a crisis? Why do you call this person? Are you

the first person that someone else calls? If so, why? Do you think that it is God’s

intention that we, as women and men of faith, presume to go to hospitals and funeral

homes to raise the dead? If we had enough faith could we simply go around raising the

dead?

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SUMMARY

Two women in crisis, two dead sons, two great prophets and two awesome

miracles; there are many similarities and many contrasts. The constant is the power of

God and the faith to tap into that power to overcome overwhelming odds. In the New

Testament Jesus, Peter and Paul are used of God to pray life into dead bodies. There is

never an indication that the church has been called to raise every dead person. If this

were the case then Jesus could have healed the beheaded John the Baptist as easily as He

healed the ear that Peter severed from the guard who came to arrest Jesus.

The second half of this verse begins with the words, “and others;” though the faith

of these others is as real as that of all the great men and women of faith which the Writer

has recorded, the outcomes were very different.

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 CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Verses 35b-38
And Others: Faith To Endure

Heb. 11:35b-38 (KJV)

35b and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a
better resurrection:
36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds
and imprisonment:
37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the
sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted,
tormented;
38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in
mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

Heb. 35b-38 (NLT)

35b But others trusted God and were tortured, preferring to die rather than turn from
God and be free. They placed their hope in the resurrection to a better life.
36 Some were mocked, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were
chained in dungeons.
37 Some died by stoning, and some were sawed in half; others were killed with the
sword. Some went about in skins of sheep and goats, hungry and oppressed and
mistreated.
38 They were too good for this world. They wandered over deserts and mountains,
hiding in caves and holes in the ground.

INTRODUCTION

I was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital with Dorothy, a faithful woman,

in the church. Her husband, Everett, also a faithful Christian, was in surgery. A few

nights earlier Everett, feeling some pain in his chest and arms, finally asked his wife to

take him to the hospital. While he was there waiting in a wheelchair for Dorothy to fill

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out the paperwork he had a heart attack. Immediately the emergency room team gave

medication to dissolve blood clots in hopes of getting blood flowing back to his heart.

Their efforts were successful and his life was saved. Further tests, however, revealed that

he had several blockages and would have to undergo surgery for four bypasses. Everett

was in surgery while waited with Dorothy.

She told me of an incident in her life of which I was unaware. She told me of the

death of her son who died while he was only twenty-three years old. He was

experiencing some unexplainable problems that were finally diagnosed as small tumors

on his brain. The doctors said that if he could get a little stronger they would begin

chemotherapy. He slept most of the time and was in and out of consciousness when one

night, with Dorothy, his grandmother and his sister in the room, he became alert and fully

conscious. This appeared to be the break-through Dorothy had been praying for and she

believed as fully as she could that her son would soon get better. Before the day was

over, however, he died.

As we talked I could see the emotion and pain which still lingered in the heart of

this dear mother. She said that the Sunday school teacher of the church she was attending

would discuss various subjects that class members turned in on slips of paper. The

teacher received her question, which was simply, “Why does God heal some people and

allow other people to die?” His answer is a stock answer among the hyper-faith

community; “You didn’t have enough faith.” Rather than grapple with a difficult

question, or simply admit that there are still yet mysteries in our walk with God which we

will not understand until the dark glass has been removed, many people simply blame the

wounded. They would say to the man who had been beaten and robbed and left beside

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the highway, “You didn’t have enough faith or this would not have happened.” They

would say to the mother whose child died in a terrible accident, “You didn’t have enough

faith or your child would still be alive.” They would say to the sick, “If you only had

more faith you would be healed right now.”

Thank God for verses 35 through 38. Sure, some were delivered from lions and

swords, and some women did, in fact, receive their dead to life again, but there were

“others.” These others, whose names are not listed, are viewed by the Writer as heroes of

faith. By faith some escaped the sword, and by the same faith some died by the edge of

the sword. By faith Abraham was made to prosper, and by the same faith others were

destitute.

I know that this doesn’t sit well with some, but there it is. The Writer isn’t telling

us that faith will insure freedom from trials or tribulations. His whole point, in this

chapter, is to illustrate that through faith we can go the distance regardless of what is

asked of us. Some were asked to confront overwhelming odds and when they trusted and

obeyed, they turned back armies. Others were asked to endure hardships. Some were

asked to confront giants with nothing more than a slingshot, while others were asked to

lay down their lives for what they believed.

I brought up verse 35b to a friend who is indoctrinated in the “Word of Faith”

movement. I noted to him that “others” died by the sword and were destitute. His

response may not reflect the position of all those of the Word of Faith movement, but it is

typical. He told me that he had heard a pastor/teacher comment on that very verse and

the observation of this teacher was that, as the King James Version states it, “others were

tortured, not accepting deliverance.” The point being that God had provided deliverance

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for them, but for one reason or another they failed to accept that deliverance from torture,

martyrdom, or hardships. In other words, it was their own fault!

That’s interesting but it does not capture the meaning of what the Writer is saying

about these others. The Writer of Hebrews celebrates the faith of these men and women.

He states that the world wasn’t worthy of them.

I believe the New Living Translation captures the intent of the Writer better than

the King James Version. The New Living Translation says, “But others trusted God and

were tortured, preferring to die rather than turn from God and be free.” The Writer is

illustrating that these men and women refused to accept deliverance at the cost of

compromising their faith. They were tortured because they did believe and were more

interested in living again at the resurrection, than living at the cost of their faith in the

immediate future.

REFLECT: Have you ever had someone ask you why some people are healed while

others are not? What is your answer? Have you ever personally wrestled with this

question? What are some of the answers others have given you? Did those answers

satisfy you?

WHO ARE THE OTHERS

Perhaps the answer to the question of why some were delivered while others

suffered can be answered best by considering who the “others” were. To whom is the

Writer referring in these verses? Some believe that it is none other than a continuing list

of what the judges, kings and prophets endured by faith. There is a tradition that Isaiah

was killed by being sawn in half during the reign of Mannasseh. There is a tradition that

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Jeremiah was stoned. So perhaps it is true that the Writer had some of these prophets in

mind.

Jesus said of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that

kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers!” (Matt. 23:37a, NLT). Likewise,

Stephen said, “Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the

ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. . .” (Ac. 7:52a, NLT).

There is a hint, however, that the Writer does not have the prophets in mind when

he speaks of “others.” After all, he has already mentioned them as a group. The Writer

has progressed through his treatise in chapter 11 in a relatively chronological order. He is

concluding with a summary that calls to mind the judges, kings and prophets and others.

There is another group of men and women, who are not recorded in the cannon of

Scripture, but who are recorded in the history of Judaism as people of faith. Their story

unfolds during the intertestimental period, the period between the last recorded prophet of

the Old Testament and the birth of Jesus. The record, while not included in the Cannon

of Scripture, was well known by the Writer and by the intended readers of the letter.

With one word, “tortured,” he calls to mind the terrible struggle of the Maccabean period.

The word translated “tortured” is from the Greek word tympanon which carries

with it the idea of stretching, as a skin on a drum, and then to strike it. It is descriptive of

the wheel, or the rack, upon which the victim was laid and slowly stretched until his

joints were literally pulled from their sockets. The skin on the abdomen and back were

also stretched through this process and then the victim was beaten like a drum until his

skin tore beneath the blows.

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 This very word is used in 2 Maccabees chapter 6 which tells of the faithfulness of

the old man, Eleazar the scribe and in chapter 7 which tells of the death of seven brothers.

This time of torture at the hands of the Syrian ruler Antiochus Epiphanes (170 BC) was

very severe. Those who would not compromise fled into the wilderness and caves until

Maccabeus (the Hammer) and his followers mounted an attack and pushed the Syrians

out of the Temple and of Jerusalem.

The account of Eleazar and of the seven brothers is worth recounting as true

examples of faith. The author of 2 Maccabees tells of the events which lead up to the

torture and martyrdom of these men:

1 Not long after this, the king (Antiochus) sent an Athenian senator to compel
the Jews to forsake the laws of their fathers and cease to live by the laws of
God,
2 And also to pollute the temple in Jerusalem and call it the temple of Olympian
Zeus, and to call the one in Gerizim the temple of Zeus the Friend of
Strangers, as did the people who dwelt in that place.
3 Harsh and utterly grievous was the onslaught of evil.
4 For the temple was filled with debauchery and reveling by the Gentiles, who
dallied with harlots and had intercourse with women within the sacred
precents, and besides brought in things for sacrifice that were unfit.
5 The altar was covered with abominable offerings which were forbidden by the
laws.
6 A man could neither keep the Sabbath, nor observe the feasts of his father, nor
so much as confess himself to be a Jew.
7 On the monthly celebration of the king’s birthday, the Jews were taken, under
bitter constraint, to partake of the sacrifices; and when the feast of Dionysus
came, they were compelled to walk in the procession in honor of Dionysus,
wearing wreaths of ivy.
8 At the suggestion of Ptolemy a decree was issued to the neighboring Greek
cities, that they should adopt the same policy toward the Jews and make them
partake of the sacrifices,
9 And should slay those who did not choose to change over to Greek customs.
One could see, therefore, the misery that had come upon them.
10 For example, two women were brought in for having circumcised their
children. These women they publicly paraded about the city, with their babies
hung at their breasts, then hurled them down headlong from the wall.

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11 Others who had assembled in the caves near by, to observe the seventh day
secretly, were betrayed to Philip and were all burned together because their
piety kept them from defending themselves, in view of their regard for that
most holy day.
12 Now I urge those who read this book not to be depressed by such calamities,
but to recognize that these punishments were designed not to destroy but to
discipline our people.
13 In fact, not to let the impious alone for long, but to punish them immediately,
is a sign of great kindness.
14 For in the case of the other nations the Lord waits patiently to punish them
until they have reached the full measure of their sins; but he does not deal in
this way with us,
15 In order that he may not take vengeance on us afterward when our sins have
reached their height.
16 Therefore he never withdraws his mercy from us. Though he disciplines us
with clamities, he does not forsake his own people.
17 Let what we have said serve as a reminder; we must go on briefly with the
story.
18 Eleazar, one of the scribes in high position, a man now advanced in age and of
noble presence, was being forced to open his mouth to eat swine’s flesh.
19 But he, welcoming death with honor rather than life with pollution, went up to
the rack of his own accord, spitting out the flesh,
20 As men ought to go who have the courage to refuse things that it is not right to
taste, even for the natural love of life.
21 Those who were in charge took the man aside, because of their long
acquaintance with him, and privately urged him to bring meat of his own
providing, proper for him to use, and pretend that he was eating the flesh of
the sacrificial meal which had been commanded by the king,
22 So that by doing this he might be saved from death, and be treated kindly on
account of his old friendship with them.
23 But making a high resolve, worthy of his years and the dignity of his old age
and the gray hairs which he had reached with distinction and his excellent life
even from childhood, and moreover according to the holy God-given law, he
declared himself quickly, telling them to send him do Hades.
24 “Such pretense is not worthy of our time of life,” he said, “lest many of the
young should suppose that Eleanor in his ninetieth year has gone over to an
alien religion,
25 And through my pretense, for the sake of living a brief moment longer, they
should be led astray because of me, while I defile and disgrace my old age.
26 For even if for the present I should avoid the punishment of men, yet whether
I live or die I shall not escape the hands of the Almighty
27 Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of
my old age
28 And leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly
and nobly for the revered and holy laws.”

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 29 And those who a little before had acted toward him with good will now
changed to ill will, because the words he had uttered were in their opinion
sheer madness.
30 When he was about to die under the blows, he groaned aloud and said, “It is
clear to the Lord in his holy knowledge that, though I might have been saved
from death, I am enduring terrible sufferings in my body under this beating,
but in my soul I am glad to suffer these things because I fear him.”
31 So in this way he died, leaving in his death and example of nobility and a
memorial of courage, not only to the young but to the great body of his nation.

This, then was the life and death of a great man of faith. To suggest that he

simply turned down the escape that God had provided is in total disagreement with the

story as it is told. Again, while this is not, in the strictest sense, “Sacred Scripture,” it is

an inspiring record of a man of faith. Furthermore, there are many words and phrases in

this account which lead many scholars to conclude that the “others” to which the Writer

of Hebrews alludes is none other than the men and women of faith and courage which the

writer of Maccabees records.

Let’s look at one last example, the seven brothers whose heroic faith is recorded

in chapter 7 of 2 Maccabees:

1 It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were
being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and cords, to partake of
unlawful swine’s flesh.
2 One of them, acting as their spokesman, said, “What do you intend to ask and
learn from us? For we are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our
fathers.”
3 The king fell into a rage, and gave orders that pans and caldrons be heated.
4 These were heated immediately, and he commanded that the tongue of their
spokesman be cut out and that they scalp him and cut off his hand and feet,
while the rest of the brothers and mother looked on.
5 When he was utterly helpless, the king ordered them to take him to the fire,
still breathing, and to fry him in a pan. The smoke from the pan spread
widely, but the brothers and their mother encouraged one another to die nobly,
saying,
6 “The Lord God is watching over us and in truth has compassion on us, as
Moses declared in his song which bore witness against the people to their
faces, when he said, ‘And he will have compassion on his servants.’”

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7 After the first brother had died in this way, they brought forward the second
for their sport. They tore off the skin of his head with the hair, and asked him,
“Will you eat rather than have your body punished limb by limb?”
8 He replied in the language of his fathers, and said to them, “No.” Therefore
he in turn underwent tortures as the first brother had done.
9 And when he was at his last breath, he said, “You accursed wretch, you
dismiss us from this present life, but the King of the universe will raise us up
to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws.”
10 After him, the third was victim of their sport. When it was demanded, he
quickly put out his tongue and courageously stretched forth his hands,
11 And said nobly, “I got these from Heaven, and because of his laws I disdain
them, and from him I hope to get them back again.”
12 As a result the king himself and those with him were astonished at the young
man’s spirit, for he regarded his sufferings as nothing.
13 When he too had died, they maltreated and tortured the fourth in the same way
14 And when he was near death, he said, “One cannot but choose to die at the
hands of men and to cherish the hope that God gives of being raised again by
him. But for you there will be no resurrection to life!”
15 Next they brought forward the fifth and maltreated him.
16 But he looked at the king, and said, “Because you have authority among men,
mortal though you are, you do what you please. But do not think that God has
forsaken our people.
17 Keep on, and see how his mighty power will torture you and your
descendants!”
18 After him they brought forward the sixth. And when he was about to die, he
said, “Do not deceive yourself in vain. For we are suffering these things on
our own account, because of our sins against our God. Therefore astounding
things have happened.
19 But do not think that you will go unpunished for having tried to fight against
God!”
20 The mother was especially admirable and worthy of honorable memory.
Though she saw her seven sons perish within a single day, she bore it with
good courage because of her hope in the Lord.
21 She encouraged each of them in the language of their fathers. Filled with a
noble spirit, she fired her woman’s reasoning with a man’s courage, and she
said to them,
22 “I do not know how you came into being in my womb. It was not I who gave
you life and breath, nor I who set in order the elements within each of you.
23 Therefore the Creator of the world, who shaped the beginning of man and
devised the origin of all things, will in his mercy give life and breath back to
you again, since you now forget yourselves for the sake of his laws.”
24 Antiochus felt that he was being treated with contempt, and he was suspicious
of her reproachful tone. The youngest brother being still alive, Antiochus not
only appealed to him in words, but promised with oaths that he would make

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 him rich and enviable if he would turn from the ways of his father, and that he
would take him for his friend and entrust him with public affairs.
25 Since the young man would not listen to him at all, the king called the mother
to him and urged her to advise the youth to save himself.
26 After much urging on his part, she undertook to persuade her son.
27 But leaning close to him, she spoke in their native tongue as follows, deriding
the cruel tyrant: “My son, have pity on me. I carried you nine months in my
womb, and nursed you for three years, and have reared you and brought you
up to this point in your life, and have taken care of you.
28 I beseech you, my child, to look at the heaven and the earth and see
everything that is in them, and recognize that God did not make them out
things that existed. Thus also mankind comes into being.
29 Do not fear this butcher, but prove worthy of your brothers. Accept death, so
that in God’s mercy I may get you back again with your brothers.”
30 While she was still speaking, the young man said, “What are you waiting for?
I will not obey the king’s command, but I will obey the command of the law
that was given to our fathers through Moses.
31 But you, who have contrived all sorts of evil against the Hebrews, will
certainly not escape the hands of God.
32 For we are suffering because of our own sins.
33 And if our living Lord is angry for a little while, to rebuke and discipline us,
he will again be reconciled with his own servants.
34 But you, unholy wretch, you most defiled of all men, do not be elated in vain
and puffed up by uncertain hopes, when you raise your hand against the
children of heaven.
35 You have not escaped the judgment of the almighty, all-seeing God.
36 For our brothers after enduring a brief suffering have drunk of everflowing
life under God’s covenant; but you, by the judgment of God, will receive
punishment for your arrogance.
37 I, like my brothers, give up body and life for the laws of our fathers, appealing
to God to show mercy soon to our nation and by afflictions and plagues to
make you confess that he alone is God,
38 And through me and my brothers to bring to an end the wrath of the Almighty
which has fallen on our whole nation.”
39 The king fell into a rage, and handled him worse than the others, being
exasperated at his scorn.
40 So he died in his integrity, putting his whole trust in the Lord.
41 Last of all, the mother died, after her sons.
42 Let this be enough, then, about the eating of sacrifices and the extreme
tortures.
(The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrapha, Revised Standard
Version)

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 After having read and studied these two accounts from Maccabees, along with

other records from that period, I am of the opinion (along with many more noted and

studied scholars) that the Writer of Hebrews continuing through the history of the Jews is

concluding with the record of “others.” Furthermore, these others are those men and

women, many of whose names are not recorded for posterity, are from the terrible times

of the intertestimental period.

Notice the many similarities, the reference to “torture,” which in the Greek is the

same as that used in the Greek writing of the author of Maccabees. The reference to

caves, to being destitute, and especially the references to a resurrection. Such references

are rare in the writings of the prophets but ample in the Maccabean record. Many

Protestants are unduly ignorant of the Apocrypha. While it may not be inspired Scripture

and therefore not authoritative for the purposes of doctrine and apologetics, it is inspiring

and is, in many cases, a good historical record which answers questions like ours in

Hebrews.

REFLECT: Imagine for a moment that someone calls upon you to compromise or it will

cost you your life, what would you do? Some scholars believe that a very similar

scenario will unfold during the “Great Tribulation Period.” Those who are not living

uprightly before the Lord will miss the “Rapture” and will be forced either to deny Christ

or die for their faith. Which do you think is easier, living a holy life now and being ready

for the Rapture, or being asked to endure torture for the faith? Are you ready now for

Christ to return?

To suggest that Eleazar and the seven brothers and mother did not have faith is

absurd. They had a faith which many of those who insist that faith insures health and

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wealth would do well to know. One of the greatest examples of faith I have ever known

personally was a young woman named of Melody. She was a young mother with a

daughter, and she was faithful to her God, her family and her church. When I met her she

had already been diagnosed with a terrible form of cancer for which there was no known

cure. We all prayed. We believe and we rejoiced every time she came back from the

doctors with a good report. Some of the tumors were shrinking and she had lived

eighteen months longer than any other person had ever been known to live with this

cancer.

Every time I saw Melody she asked about my family and prayed for my wife who

has fibromyalgia, a sometimes painful, but not life-threatening disease. She always

praised God and made it to church when others would have stayed home. One day one

of the ushers came to Melody and told her that God had instructed him to pray for her.

She gladly accepted his offer to pray. When he put his hand on her head, however, he

knocked her wig off. (The chemo had long since caused the loss of her own hair.) He

was understandably embarrassed and reached to pick it up. She quickly stopped him and

said, “Don’t worry about that, just pray!”

I stood in the hallway of the hospital with her husband while she lay dying on the

other side of the door. She had fought a good fight and through it all she maintained her

faithfulness to God. I never for a minute doubted that she believed in healing, and she

believed in God, yet she died. He husband was confused and hurt and perhaps angry. I

told him that I did not understand why things worked out they way they did but I know

that Melody loved God and I know that God loved Melody. I suggested that after he had

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gone through the valley, and after he had expressed his anger at his loss, he would find

that God loves him.

Faith is not a promise that we are immune to life’s tragedies, faith is the lifeline

which keeps us anchored to hope that now is and is to come. Faith keeps us tied to the

One Who will not allow life to conquer us or crush us. Faith allows us to endure every

wind and wave and yet to stay firmly planted on the Rock that will not roll.

SUMMARY

Sometimes we feel more like the “and others” than we do Abraham, Moses or

Samuel. Still, our faith is not determined by our great feats, but by our steadfast

commitment to God and to His Word and will. Anyone who believes that living for

Christ is always going to be a bed of roses needs to listen again, God is saying, “I beg

your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden.” Commitment is not wishy-washy or

fickle. Commitment is that for which we are willing both to live and die for. This

requires faith and follow-through.

Resist the temptation to look on the outward, upon the circumstances of a

person’s life, and measure their faith by circumstances. People who are going through

the most severe struggles, but who continue to trust and obey God even when they do not

understand “why” are people of great faith.

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 CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Verses 39-40
Us: Faith and Something Better

Heb. 11:39-40 (KJV)

39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the
promise:
40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be
made perfect.

Heb. 11:39-40 (NLT)

39 All of these people we have mentioned received God’s approval because of their
faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.
40 For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they
can’t receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race.

INTRODUCTION
Here we come to the end of the chapter, but not to the end of the thought; in fact,

this chapter is actually preparatory to what follows in chapter 12 concerning Christ as our

ultimate example:

2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith: who for the joy
that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is
set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against
himself, lest ye be wearied in your minds.
4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. (12:2-4, KJV)

When we consider the issue of faith, Christ Himself is both our example and our

goal. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Philippi, “I strain to reach the end of the

race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to

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heaven” (Phi. 3:14, NLT). No other objective of faith is worth comparing to the ultimate

goal of hearing Jesus Himself say, “Well done! You’ve been a good and faithful servant”

(Matt. 25:21).

The Writer is addressing the issue of Jewish believers turning from their Christian

faith back to Judaism. To encourage continued faith and endurance the Writer uses their

own heroes of faith and the testimony of the elders to point out that faith is no guarantee

that hard times will not come. He has, in effect, demonstrated that the great men and

women of faith were looking for something more than they received during their

lifetimes.

These Jewish Christians were beginning to suffer persecution and it was causing

confusion. Some concluded that it must have been wrong to become Christians and that

God was trying to tell them to go back to the Old Covenant. But the Writer tells them

that nothing could be further from the truth. Consider Christ, He suffered the cross

because He knew what lay on the other side of suffering. It was the exceeding joy of

presenting the Church, which is His Bride, to His Father (Jude 24). Jesus saw beyond the

present sufferings and beheld the glory which awaited both Him and those who follow

Him.

This flies in the face of the ambivalence of these Jewish Christians who had not

yet “resisted unto blood,” which is to say, they had not yet been asked to lay down their

lives in martyrdom. Yet they were on the verge of going back to that which had been

rendered powerless by Christ. The Law no longer held the covenant promises that it

once did. Christ fulfilled the Law and now a “new” and “better” covenant was available

for all people. If they forsook the sacrifice of Christ, then, “. . . there remaineth no more

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sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for a judgment and fiery indignation, which

shall devour the adversaries” (Heb. 10:26b-27, KJV).

BELIEVING AND NOT RECEIVING

Notice the words of the Writer concerning these elders, they “received God’s

approval because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.”

We hear a lot about believing and receiving, and yet the example of these men and

women, with respect to the ultimate goal of an eternal habitation (“a city which hath

foundations, whose builder and maker is God,” Heb. 11:10), is that they did not receive.

They did great things through faith, and achieved a measure of notoriety through faith,

and yet none of them received all that God had promised. The reason is that none of

these great personalities of faith were fixated on the momentary glories or the transitory

treasures of this life. Each of them looked for something better.

REFLECT: It is easy to become so focused on our felt needs at the moment that we fail

to consider the future glory which awaits. What do you feel is your most important need

at this moment? How does your faith relate to that need? Does the idea that the

ultimate goal of the believer is not a temporal or material blessing make it easier or

harder to believe?

These men and women had faith, and many saw great things happen as a result,

others died because of their faith. The Writer does not categorize one group as having

more faith than the others have. He simply says, “And these all (everyone of them)

received a good report through faith.”

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 I had a professor in Seminary who told our class of an incident where the wife of

a friend of his had died. The Professor drove the man back to his home after the funeral

and after saying good-bye watch him walk, with head down and shoulders slumped,

down the walkway to his empty house. My Professor said that as he watched that man

walking away he said to himself, You sure have been good to me God. And he said that

God responded to his spirit, “I’ve been good to that man too.”

We tend to measure good and bad, blessings and cursing, faith and unbelief by

what we can see, feel or experience here and now. But the definition of faith is that it is

“the evidence of things not seen.” The true measure of faith is not the make and model of

the car, nor the size of the house we live in. The true measure of faith is not in how long

we live or how healthy we’ve been. The example of the elders and of Christ is that true

faith is measured by our faithfulness despite what we experience in this life. True faith

can look beyond both the sparkle of gold or the veil of tears and see that there is

something better that awaits the child of God.

This is not to imply that God does not, or will not provide for material needs. He

does and will; yet these things are more of a reflection of God grace than a man’s faith.

Some would argue that if it is not the faith of man which causes some to have greater

wealth and health than others this would mean that God is unfair. Again, it is much

easier to put the fault of failing health or the lack of financial prosperity on the lack of

man’s faith than it is to wrestle with the idea that God allows some to experience less

trouble in this life than he does others.

Grace, by definition, is “unmerited,” no man has earned the right to any of the

blessings of God. All of humanity is guilty, all have sinned and come short of the glory

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of God (Rom. 3:23). Therefore any blessing we receive here and now is by God’s grace

and not man can point a finger at God and declare Him to be unfair. Unfair is the cost

God paid so that any of us could put faith into action and receive the benefits of the cross.

True faith is focused on the goal and the result true faith is a life lived in gratitude for all

that God has done. The result is lives lived in trust and obedience to One who paid the

price for our victories. Whether that victory is healing over sickness, or dying for the

faith, our faithfulness is a direct result of the sacrifice of Christ and His eternal life at the

right hand of the Father where He ever lives to make intercession for us (Heb. 7:25).

REFLECT: How would you characterize your faith, weak or strong? What do you base

this evaluation on? If others were looking at your life, how do you think they would rate

your faith on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being strong)? Why do you think you they would give

you this rating? If the true measure of faith is faithfulness, what can you do to increase

your faith?

SOMETHING BETTER FOR US

The Writer says that these elders did not receive “all that God had for them for

God had far better things in mind for us.” The elders lived under the Old Covenant and

the Old Covenant anticipated the New. The blood of bulls and goats could not take away

sins; they were simply a shadow of something better. The Writer makes this very point

in chapter 10:

9b He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of
Jesus Christ once for all.

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 What we experience in Christ was anticipated, by faith, in the lives of the elders

and they remained faithful even though they never saw the fulfillment of the types and

symbols during their lifetimes. We live in a time which some refer to as the “already, but

not yet.” The Apostle John said, “Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, and

we can’t even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that

when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is” (1 Jn. 3:2, NLT).

We have already received the benefits of the cross in salvation, but we still wait for the

completion of the process when our faith will end in sight.

When the Writer says God has something better for us, he is talking about the fact

that God had something better than the blood of rams and goats, better than a high priest

who first had to sanctify himself, better than laws written on stone, God had a better

covenant which was purchased by the blood of Christ who is both sacrifice and High

Priest and Who has written His law upon our hearts.

The elders received the benefits of the cross by faith, but faith which was limited

to the acts of obedience in carrying out the shadows and types. We also receive the

benefits of the cross, but for us the cross and the benefits are an established fact. We no

longer rely on types and symbols, but we by faith bring the power of the cross into our

life today. We live and move and have our being in Him (Ac. 17:28).

REFLECT: Do you think it would take more faith to live fulfilling types and shadows, or

to live as we do looking back at what God in Christ has done? What benefits do we

have that those under the Old Covenant did not have?

The King James Version ends chapter 11 with the phrase, “that they without us

should not be made perfect.” Given that chapter 12 begins by continuing the thought

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from verse 40, I believe the New Living Translation captures the thought of the Writer:

“for they can’t receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race.” In an

athletic contest the race has to finish before the medals are handed out.

Verse 1 of chapter 12 begins with the word, “therefore.” A wise professor of

hermeneutics once gave me this advice, “Whenever you see the word, ‘therefore’ you

ought to look and see what it’s there for.” The New Living Translation of chapter 12

verse 1 is:

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses

to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the
sine that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race
that God has set before us.
2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends
from start to finish. (Heb. 12:1,2, NLT)

SUMMARY

Faith is a journey, not an act. Faith is dynamic and growing, not static and

stale. The Apostle Paul tells us that we “walk by faith” (2 Cor. 5:7), which

implies that the Christian life is a walk of faith. Similarly, Jesus said, “he that

endureth to the end, shall be saved” (Matt. 10:22, KJV). The Writer of Hebrews,

like the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 9:24), also refers to the Christian life as a race.

When running the race we sometimes get weary, tired of trying, and

tempted to quit. The thing that keeps us pushing on is keeping our eyes on the

prize. What is that prize? The Writer said, “Keeping our eyes on Jesus.” The

Apostle Paul said, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not

worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18,

KJV). Our eyes are not on the present sufferings, but on the glory that awaits us.

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 When I played football in high school and college, I never got put out of a

game because of an injury. I was so involved with the game, so focused on

running another yard and on winning the game, that I never noticed the bruises

and bumps I was getting. The next morning I would be stiff and sore, but I

couldn’t wait to go out and get the morning paper to see my name in print.

Sounds kind of vain but the glory of the press and accolades of the student body

enabled me to endure the pain. The glory of stardom made the pain of game

worth the sacrifice.

Sure, Christians are buffeted and under attack from the enemy. And yes,

even great men and women of faith sometimes feel the pain and the bruises which

life sometimes inflicts. So why do we keep going? We keep our eyes on the

prize of hearing Jesus say, “Well done.” In one moment in time any suffering

which we have endured, any losses incurred, will be swallowed up in victory.

It is no wonder that heaven is described as a noisy place. The shouts of

victory which we express here are but mere whispers to the shout which will arise

from the golden streets of glory. As the old song says, “heaven will surely be

worth it all.”

This is not to imply that our journey has to be joyless or melancholy, far

from it. We already know that we win, and we already know what the prize is, so

we walk with joy and peace and rest. Since our faith “is the substance of things

hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” we can rejoice here and now. Our

faith is measured by our daily expressions of faithfulness. Whether we are

walking beside the still waters or we are walking through the valley of the shadow

of death, whether we are abased, or whether we abound, we express our faith by

consistent dependence upon, and obedience to, God.

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