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Fifteen years ago today I gave this message – the fifth in a series based on Hebrews chapter eleven – a chapter that summons us to remember the great faith of those who went before us. I think it’s appropriate for Memorial Day weekend, since the purpose of this letter was to cause the 1st Century Jewish believers to take a look back and remember those who went before them. People who don’t bother to remember, who rely on themselves and lack any appreciation for biblical history, are on a bad trajectory. Faith founded on self-reliance is doomed. Self-sufficiency is insufficient when life’s storms come along. We need to know we’re walking in good company, and we need to know how those who went before us succeeded if we’re to succeed in God’s eyes. Success in His eyes, of course, means faithfulness.
So let’s travel back along the highway of biblical history and see what genuine faith looks like, as we consider some of the men and women in the ‘Hall of Faith’.
Verses 32-34
And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
Time would indeed fail us, were we to begin listing the names and describing the exploits of all the great men and women of biblical history. But that’s one of the many benefits of life in the World-To-Come: there are no time limitations. You and I will have ample opportunity to get to know these, our brothers and sisters from ancient times.
There’s something else I’d like to point out: every one of these heroes of the faith was a flawed, sinful human being. Gideon was frightened and indecisive at first and only reluctantly carried out God’s orders. Barak would only be persuaded to go to war against the Canaanites if Deborah came along. What kind of military leadership is that?
Samson – where do I start? For all his strength and valor, he was a man enslaved to his passions and married very badly. Jephthah is remembered primarily on account of a very foolish oath, made worse by his apparently carrying it out. David was the great warrior-poet king, whose heart was after God, but who complicated his own life and ruined the lives of others by, among other things, his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband Uriah; his ill-advised political alliances and the taking of an unauthorized census of Israel’s eligible men of war, leading to a devastating plague.
These men had glaring faults and some committed terrible sins, but God was able to work His will through them. There’s an old saying: “Every sinner has a future… Every saint has a past.”
Maybe you feel inadequate to accomplish anything great for the Kingdom of God. On the one hand you’re right – who of us is adequate for such things (2 Cor. 2:16 and 3:5)? On the other hand, you’re wrong – God has always chosen weak vessels to accomplish His great purposes. An old friend of mine, and a fellow Messianic Jew, Sally Klein O’Connor, wrote a funny and delightful song about this, entitled “Improbable People for Impossible Tasks”.
Never rule yourself out. When you do that, you’re showing a lack of faith in the power of God. So don’t make that mistake. Your assumption should be that you can do all things through Messiah who strengthens you!
So let’s have another look at that list and learn what we can about what constitutes faith that is approved.
of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah…
The period of the Judges was a very bad time in Israel’s history. After the death of Joshua, there was a serious lack of spiritual leadership in Israel, and our people began to participate in the grotesque, pagan religious practices of the Canaanites who were our neighbors. God’s anger would be stirred up and He would bring enemies against us and we would be subjugated and cry out to Him. Then God would raise up a Judge who would lead us to victory over the enemy. Then before long we would revert to paganism and the cycle would start over.
Gideon was so afraid of the fierce Midianites that we first meet him threshing grain (something normally done on a hill top) in a wine press (below ground level). His father was an idolater and Gideon was just plain timid and indecisive. Yet Gideon’s faith, though small as a mustard seed, was enough that through him and just 300 men, the entire Midianite army was defeated.
Barak, though ambivalent about leading the army of Israel, and relying on Deborah for the courage he needed, still had enough faith to defeat Sisera and all of King Jabin’s army, and our people once again enjoyed freedom.
Samson, despite his weakness for foreign women, had enough faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to defeat the Philistines repeatedly, and single-handedly killed over 3,000 Philistines at one time, even after having been captured and his eyes put out. The Philistines mocked him… just before he brought down their temple and killed them all.
Jephthah (Yiftach) had less than noble beginnings. His mother was a prostitute! His half brothers wanted nothing to do with him. He grew up with a chip on his shoulder. Everything was against him. You might have thought he was the least likely to be chosen by God to give Israel victory, but then, God uses unlikely people. And in spite of his foolish vow, which ultimately cost his daughter her life, he was used mightily of God.
of David and Samuel and the prophets…
David was not exactly Jesse’s biggest or strongest son. In fact, he was the one tending the sheep. It had not even occurred to Jesse to summon him when Samuel announced that one of his sons would be anointed Israel’s next king. It was only after his seven older brothers had been rejected that David was called.
David learned through the humility of tending sheep what it means to care for the helpless and vulnerable. God gave him courage to fight off a bear and a lion. David may have been least likely in the eyes of men to become king, but his heart belonged to God. That faith gave him victory over Goliath and later victories over all the Philistines. He was far from perfect, but he believed God, and even when he sinned, he repented and was forgiven.
Samuel’s mother Hannah, couldn’t have children. But she took her grief and her desperate request to the Lord, and God gave her her heart’s desire – a boy. By faith she promised Adonai that in response to His answer, she would dedicate that boy to Him forever. And by faith she honored her promise. Samuel was still just a young boy when he began to discern the voice of God. Who would have taken a little boy seriously? But God has never cared to accommodate human prejudices. Samuel was more reverent before God than even the High Priest! He wasn’t too small to be effective in the plans and purposes of God, and eventually rose in stature to become Israel’s prophet.
who by faith conquered kingdoms…
How did they do it – David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Josiah and the good kings of Israel? They did it by faith. David wrote: Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God (Psalm 20:7). And Psalm 44 declares: We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what You did in their days, in days long ago. With Your hand You drove out the nations and planted our fathers; You crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish. It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, for You loved them. You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob. Through You we push back our enemies; through Your name we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but You give us victory over our enemies, You put our adversaries to shame.
performed acts of righteousness…
obtained promises…
It was their faith in the true and living God that gave the Jewish midwives the boldness to defy the command of Pharaoh and saved the lives of the innocent; faith that enabled Joseph to see past the victimhood of his youth and rise up to rule over Egypt and save countless Hebrew and Egyptian lives; faith that gave a young Joshua the courage to go to lead Israel into the Land of Promise. I feel for the author here. Time really would fail us if we were to list them all, but it is in remembering their faith in Adonai which gave them victory that we will be victorious.
shut the mouths of lions…
Who’s this talking about? Daniel, of course! And you know the story. But Daniel didn’t suddenly acquire the ability to survive in a lion’s den. From his youth he proved himself faithful to God. When it might have been expedient to eat the king’s food, he chose instead to abide by God’s word and was blessed for it – he and his friends. God rewarded their faithfulness and they rose to prominence in Babylon. Through Daniel and his friends, Babylon and its king learned about the God of Israel.
quenched the power of fire…
Who’s this talking about? Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego! It was their faith in the holiness and power of God that gave them the boldness to defy Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and refused to bow down to his big fat golden idol, in spite of the death penalty that hung over any who disobeyed his order to bow down. And when the hour came, their faith was intact and they defied his edict. And the fire of that furnace, turned up seven times hotter than usual, couldn’t harm them. And they were not alone in that furnace, for Messiah Yeshua, the Son of God, walked in the midst of it with them! And He walks with you through your fiery ordeals as well.
escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong…
I think of Elijah, who had a death sentence over his head from Ahab and Jezebel after the showdown between God and Baal on Mt. Carmel. But God had more for Elijah to do, and he could not be captured. And during his flight, when he became weak and hungry, God sent food to him miraculously through the birds of the sky, and he was given supernatural bread to eat, a small portion of which sustained him for 40 days until he arrived at Horeb (1 Kings 19:8)!
became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight…
I think of Jonathan, who, together with just one other man, his armor-bearer, by faith in the power of God, put an entire Philistine army on the run and helped Israel win a great victory. Listen to his words to his companion: “Come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps the LORD will work for us, for the LORD is not restrained to save by many or by few.” (1 Samuel 14:6)
Yes, by faith in the Lord God of Israel, otherwise ordinary men and women did extraordinary things. Let’s continue at verse 35.
Verse 35
Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection;
Both Elijah and Elisha, by the power of God, raised back to life the sons of women who had helped them. We are not given names and dates, but there were many in Jewish history prior to the First Century who remained faithful to Adonai rather than bow down or acknowledge false gods, and were beaten or put to death for their refusal. But they feared God, and knew that momentary suffering could not compare with an eternity spent in God’s favor. This was especially true during the years leading up to the Maccabean revolt against the oppression of Antiochus IV the Seleucid king in the 2nd century BC.
Trusting in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and in Messiah Yeshua is what will sustain you and give you the courage to stand firm when the time comes that your faith is put to the test, as it may well be in the days ahead. Remember that Yeshua’s promises are “to him who overcomes”. We do not overcome in our own strength, but through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Verses 36-38
and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
Imagine such a description in a recruitment center! Not exactly the kind of thing that helps you get followers. But Scripture is clear that those who desire to live godly lives in Messiah Yeshua will suffer hardship. It is inevitable – and necessary. It is part of our growing into Yeshua’s likeness. But then again, the Kingdom of God isn’t for the faint-hearted. The half-committed need not apply. It is in the testing of a person’s faith that it is either proven to be genuine or counterfeit.
Will you hold fast your faith in Yeshua even if it means being laughed at? Will you hold fast your faith in Yeshua even if it means being beaten up over it? Will you hold fast your faith in Yeshua even if that makes you an ‘outlaw’. This isn’t academic, it is happening all over the world at this very hour; in Communist countries and in Islamic countries. Even in India, where we’ve been led to believe that Hinduism is benign, those who confess Jesus as Messiah and Lord are being beaten and murdered. Such things will eventually come to our shores, I believe.
Sadly, much of the suffering endured by these faithful men and women was inflicted by their fellow Israelis. Let me read some of these verses again:
They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy). You and I cannot afford to forget the sacrifices of those who went before us. Are you suffering for the Faith? If you are, you aren’t alone! You are walking a well-worn path, and you are in very good company. Don’t give up. Don’t abandon the One who saved you. Be counted in the ‘cloud of witnesses’ who endured to the end.
Verses 39-40
And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.
They endured all these things and accomplished all these things, and yet did not live to see the realization of God’s Kingdom established on Earth. They did not live to see the promise of Messiah. They did not have the Good News so readily accessible to them, as we do today. In that regard we are to be held even more accountable. We have in our very hands the full revelation of God – the Bible; both Old and New Testaments. What will you do with this treasure?
On Memorial Day we take time to remember and express our gratitude for those who sacrificed so much to preserve the freedoms we now enjoy (and take for granted). In the same way we owe much gratitude for the men and women of ancient times whose courage, dedication and determination contributed to the Message of God – the Holy Scriptures that are our source of instruction and inspiration.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (my rendering of the Greek):
For consider (remember) your calling, brothers, that by worldly standards not many of you were wise, not many mighty, not many born of nobility. But God has chosen the (supposed) ‘foolish ones’ of the world, so that He might put the ‘wise’ to shame. And God has chosen the (supposed)‘weaklings’ of the world so that He might put the ‘mighty’ to shame; and the (supposed) insignificant ones of the world and those regarded with contempt God has chosen, the ‘nobodies’ that He might render the ‘somebodies’ moot. That no human being should boast in the sight of God.
“The preceding message was brought to you by a bunch of unlikely success stories” – those who nevertheless became the godly and wise judges and kings, prophets and martyrs of Israel; having died without seeing the realization of God’s promises because He wanted us all to see it together.