Sunday Night Bible Study Hebrews 11:32-40 October 16, 1994 Hebrews 11:32-40 Introduction The importance of faith The Jewish believers who were reading the original letter had been going through a great deal of persecution since they started believing in Jesus as their Messiah. Some of them had even been tempted to just give up in trusting in Jesus and go back to Judaism like they were before they were saved. But the writer has over and over again stressed the importance of faith, of trusting and continuing to trust in Jesus. The writer has been drawing from the Jews' own history of heroes to show that the great men of old all lived by faith. 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: :32 Gedeon (Gideon) Judges 6-8 Israel was ruled by the Midianites. God picked Gideon to deliver Israel. He asked God to show him by a fleece. Gideon rounded up an army of 32,000 men, but God said that was too many to face the army of the Midianites (about 135,000 men - Jud 8:10). The scared guys were sent away and 22,000 men went home. Down at the water, only those who lapped water like a dog were chosen, only 300 men to face all the Midianites. Each man was given a trumpet, a torch, and a pitcher to cover the torch. The sword of the Lord and of Gideon. Quite an unusual way of handling your enemies. But one which showed a great dependance upon God and only a little dependance upon man. Lesson: God wants us to trust in Him, not in anyone else. Psalms 33 16-22 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. 17 An horse [is] a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver [any] by his great strength. 18 Behold, the eye of the LORD [is] upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; 19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he [is] our help and our shield. 21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. 22 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee. :32 Barak Judges 4-5 During the times of the judges, when Israel would follow the Lord for a while and be delivered from their enemies. But when things got comfortable, they'd turn their back on the Lord and God would have to get their attention by letting their enemies conquer them again. Then the people would repent, and God would deliver them. The Canaanites were ruling over Israel at this time, and Israel cried to God for help. A woman, Deborah, was the judge over Israel. She called Barak and said to take 10,000 men and deliver Israel from the Canaanites. He wanted her to go with him, she said that God would then deliver through a woman. He went, and following the Lord's directions, conquered the Canaanites. But the head of the enemy's army (Sisera), was killed by a woman. :32 Samson Judges 13-16 A Nazirite - dedicated to God, shown by long hair. He had great strength, as long as he was dedicated to God. He brought great victory, single-handed against the Philistines. He had problems too, problems with lust and women. His problems led to his capture and blindness. Yet he is listed as a man of faith! God's grace and mercy to overlook our sin. After he was blinded, his hair grew back, and his strength too. He killed more of the enemy in his death (3,000) than in all his life. :32 Jephthae (Jephthah) Judges 11-12 The Ammonites were at war against Israel Jephthah was a bastard, the son of a Gilead and a harlot. He was disowned by his family and joined a rough group of men. But when Israel needed help, they knew that he was the man, and they asked him to lead them. He gathered an army, and made a vow to God: Jud 11:30-31 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. God gave him victory, and when he got home, his only child, a daughter, came out of the house to greet him. He kept his vow. :32 David Where do we start? David and Goliath. David being chased by Saul, never turning against the Lord's anointed. David's victories against the Philistines David's plans for the temple David running from Absalom, still trusting God's help Summary about David: David was a man after God's own heart 1Sa 13:14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him [to be] captain over his people, because thou hast not kept [that] which the LORD commanded thee. You can't be a person after God heart without faith. Heb 11:6 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. David trusted the Lord. Ps 28:7 The LORD [is] my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. :32 Samuel 1Samuel The last of the "judges" when the government changed from a theocracy to a monarchy. He anointed Saul as the first king, then anointed David to replace Saul. :32 the prophets Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, etc. 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. 35a Women received their dead raised to life again: Faith's Great Victories :33 through faith subdued kingdoms Gideon and the Midianites - trusted God and God gave the victory. :33 wrought righteousness Very general, could apply to many things. Doing good things. Elisha and the axe-head - 2Ki 6:6 :33 obtained promises Elijah and the widow of Zarephath during a famine and drought. 1Ki 17:13-14 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go [and] do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring [it] unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. 14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day [that] the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. God kept his promise. :33 stopped the mouths of lions Who's this? Daniel 6 - Daniel prayed, even though it became outlawed. He was thrown into the lion's den. God had an angel stop the lions' mouths. :34 quenched the violence of fire Dan. 3 - Shadrach, Meshach, Abed-nego - Bow or burn! Da 3:17-18 If it be [so], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver [us] out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Unwillingness to compromise one bit in their stand for God. God's promise for those with hearts like that: Isa 43:1-2 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called [thee] by thy name; thou [art] mine. 2 When thou passest through the waters, I [will be] with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. :34 escaped the edge of the sword David running from Saul 1Sam.23:28 - The Rock of Escape :34 out of weakness were made strong Samson - blinded and shorn, then hair grew back with strength. God's grace to use a broken vessel. Gideon - God taking 300 men to defeat 135,000 :34 waxed valiant in fight Jonathan and his armor bearer 1Sa 14:6 And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for [there is] no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few. Let's go do great things for the Lord! David and Goliath 1Sa 17:45-47 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle [is] the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands. The Key is Faith! Seeing the unseen! :34 turned to flight the armies of the aliens proof of UFO's! (a joke!) 2Ki.6-7 - The Syrians beseiging Samaria, famine in the city. 4 lepers go out to the other camp. 2Ki 7:6-7 For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, [even] the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. 7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it [was], and fled for their life. There's many other examples where Israel turned back their enemies, but here's one were they didn't do anything at all! :35 women received their dead raised to life again Three examples of resurrection in Old Testament: Elijah - Son of the widow of Zarephath # 1Ki 17:22 Elisha - Son of the Shunammite # 2Ki 4:35 Dead man restored to life at touch of Elisha's bones # 2Ki 13:21 Faith's Great Victories There's not a lot we couldn't do if we had faith to do it! Mt 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Do you have some kingdoms to subdue? Works to do? Promises to obtain? Lions to stop? Fire to quench? Swords to escape? Weaknesses to be strenghtened? Battles to fight valiantly? Aliens to turn away? Dead people to be given new life? Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. How can I have more faith? We can identify with the man who brought his son to Jesus for healing: Mr 9:23-24 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. It's great to see all these champions of faith believing in God. But for me it gets kind of tough sometimes. How to gain more faith: 1. Soak in God's Word Ro 10:17 So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Get into God's Word, look at His great deeds Psalm 77 - a real depressing Psalm! Ps 77:10-12 And I said, This [is] my infirmity: [but I will remember] the years of the right hand of the most High. 11 I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. 12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. As you continue to spend time in God's Word, you also get a better glimpse at God's heart of love for you. 2. Take advantage of trials (I'm not talking about the OJ case!) 1Pe 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see [him] not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: The words "trial" and "tried" speak of the testing of precious metals, which is done by fire. The trials we face are the heat under the smelting pot of our faith. God needs to keep the heat on us from time to time to refine our faith. As the heat continues, the impurities come to the surface, where God as the master goldsmith can remove them from our lives. Trials also work hand in hand with the Word Ps 119:71 [It is] good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. Ps 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. Ps 119:50 This [is] my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me. Baby giraffes...birth of a giraffe... In a View from the Zoo, Gary Richmond tells about the birth of a giraffe: "The first thing to emerge are the baby giraffe's front hooves and head. A few minutes later the plucky newborn calf is hurled forth, falls ten feed, and lands on its back. Within seconds, he rolls to an upright position with his legs tucked under his body. From this position he considers the world for the first time and shakes off the last vestiges of the birthing fluid from his eyes and ears. The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she positions herself directly over her calf. She waits for about a minute, and then she does the most unreasonable thing. She swings her long, pendulous leg outward and kicks her baby, so that it is sent sprawling head over heals. When it doesn't get up, the violent process is repeated over and over again. The struggle to rise is momentous. As the baby calf grows tired, the mother kicks it again to stimulate its efforts...Finally, the calf stands for the first time on its wobbly legs. Then the mother giraffe does the most remarkable thing. She kicks it off its feet again. Why? She wants it to remember how it got up. In the wild, baby giraffes must be able to get up as quickly as possible in order to stay with the herd, where there is safety. Lions, hyenas, leopards, and wild hunting dogs all enjoy young giraffes, and they'd get it too, if the mother didn't teach her calf to get up quickly and get with it... I've thought about the birth of the giraffe many times. I can see its parallel in my own life. There have been many times when it seemed that I had just stood up after a trial, only to be knocked down again by the next. It was God helping me to remember how it was that I got up, urging me always to walk with him, in his shadow, under his care." 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. Faith's Great Price (it's not all Victory): :35 others were tortured, not accepting deliverance :36 trial of cruel mockings and scourgings ... bonds and imprisonment :37 stoned :37 sawn asunder This is thought to be a reference to the prophet Isaiah. His long ministry covered the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, and into the reign of Manasseh. Jotham reigned 16 years, Ahaz reigned 16 years, Hezekiah reigned 29 years (at least 61 years!) But it was wicked King Manasseh that had Isaiah put to death, sawn in two. :37 tempted :37 slain with the sword :37 wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins :37 being destitute, afflicted, tormented :38 of whom the world was not worthy :38 they wandered in deserts ... mountains ... dens ... caves Faith's Great Price (it's not all Victory): 2Co 4:16-18 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward [man] is renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory; 18 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. 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.