Hebrews | Chapter 11

Hebrews 11:1-3

“A different drummer”

 

• Introduction
• 1 No child atheists
• 2 The testimony of faith
• 3 Thank God I’m an atheist

 

Introduction

 

As a young man in the 70’s I became captivated by that TV show that started every program with the same monolog: “These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” The eleventh chapter of Hebrews describes a group of folks on just such a journey. Their mission wasn’t five-years, it was a lifetime of exploration seeking out NEW LIFE and creating a NEW CIVILIZATION boldly going where only few dared to go before. The 11th chapter enshrines them as they are commonly called the “Heroes of faith”. All of these folks mentioned in this chapter were triumphant because of one simple fact: They trusted God! There is no “element” more essential for the maturity of the believer in the “NEW LIFE IN CHRIST” than “FAITH”! It is what separates the Christian from the non-Christian. Henry David Thoreau, once said, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.” That statement by Thoreau accurately describes Christians as we are walking differently in this world because we are listening to a different drummer! Before we examine these wonderful saints, the writer will need to clarify what he means by faith. There is a great deal of confusion when it comes to the meaning of this word, faith! Because of this confusion it is best to start with four things that faith is not even though these four things are often identified as faith:

• It is not positive thinking!
• It is not a hunch that is followed!
• It is not hoping for the best!
• It is not a feeling of optimism!

Since those four things aren’t a description of what faith is, the writer in the first seven verses describes for us the true definition of faith is. Then the rest of the 11^th chapter goes on to demonstrate how faith works. The writer of Hebrews is not writing about faith in general but specific faith in God. The context of this passage on faith follows the author’s plea to trust Jesus; it is clear that he realized that by this time Judaism no longer had need of “faith” as it had been replaced by a system of religious works and legalistic requirements that boasted on self-effort, self-salvation and self-glorification. It had become nothing more than a religious cult built upon works. But that is not what God had intended as Habakkuk wrote in 2:4 “But the just shall live by faith.” God has never redeemed man by works, but always by faith. This chapter will continue on by showing this starting with Adam. Works have always been a by-product of faith and never a means to salvation.

 

Vs. 1 No child atheists

Vs. 1 The first thing I notice is that the author gives the reader a definition in which we see three ingredients of faith.These three ingredients of faith are visible but are in the midst of things that are unseen and unknowable. Because we have trusted God and His word, we have three ingredients that make us different than the rest of the unbelieving world:

• Substance: Of things hoped for
• Evidence: Of things not seen
• Understanding: That the worlds were framed by the Word of God

This is the only definition of faith in the Bible. Faith apprehends as real fact that which is not revealed to the natural senses.

In Hebrew poetry we call this Parallelism where the same thing is stated two similar ways. The point the writer is establishing is the nature of faith. Faith is a living hope that is so real that it gives “absolute substance”. It is not wistful longing that something may come to pass but absolute certainty in what the world often considers impossible. The reason for this is found in Titus words in chapter 1:2 where he emphatically states that, “God cannot lie”! The word “substance” in the Greek means “to stand under” and as such speaks of a foundation or reality. It is used elsewhere in a legal sense to mean a “title deed”, so faith is the title deed for things hoped for.  The truth is, Faith offers better vision of reality than the best eyesight! Notice how faith commences with “things hoped for”. Faith starts with providing “substance” when a person is “dissatisfied” with the way things are NOW and are “hoping” for something better! No person ever has need of faith in God until they have become “dissatisfied” with the way they are. This might sound familiar; in Jesus’ sermon on the mount He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. That is why throughout the Bible, the great enemy of faith is a complacent spirit, an attitude of self-satisfaction with the status quo. I believe that this answers the great questions we have as to why trials and tribulations come into our lives at times: They are allowed into our lives so that we can become dissatisfied with the status quo and begin to long for something better than just existing! This is why verse 6 says that “without faith it is impossible to please God”. Religion, by its very nature, seeks to be luck warm and comfortable but in that sate a person will never please God because they are satisfied with the way they are. Ah, but when we demand more out of life than just existing and hope for something better faith becomes engaged! That’s when verse 6 again kicks in as it is in this “dissatisfied moment” that “we come to God” looking for Him to deepen the veneer of life that we have been satisfied with.

Next the writer says that “Faith” is the “the evidence of things not seen”. The Greek word implies a response an outward manifestation to the reality mentioned above. A person not only has to have a desire for “something better”, but they have to have an “awareness that there is of something better”. Faith comes in, as a person becomes aware that there is an invisible kingdom and that which our sense detect is NOT the whole explanation of life! These invisible realities are as real and vital as anything our senses can detect. In fact, according to this statement, they are more real because they are the explanation of the things which can be seen. We see this in the words and teachings of Jesus as He spoke to the Father as though he were standing right there, invisible, and yet present. Jesus didn’t see the universe as an impersonal machine, he saw it as an invisible, spiritual kingdom.

Verse 6 says it this way: “He who comes to God must believe that He is..”, that is to say that God exists. Some folks will argue and tell us that believing that God exists is just too hard. But that’s the easiest part as it requires much more “faith” to disbelieve as it defies logic. The truth is everyone in the world starts out believing God exists! No one starts out believing that God doesn’t exist. Disbelief only begins when people become carefully taught to disbelieve. The only way a person cannot see “the light” that is all around them is to willingly be blind and every moment of the day reject the “LIGHT”.  Light from God is streaming everywhere and all a person must do is open their eyes to know that God is. That’s why children have no problem the concept of God! If the existence of God was so difficult to believe than you would rationally think that all Children would start out and remain atheists!

Vs. 2 The testimony of faith

Vs. 2 Next, we read of the “testimony” of faith as we are told that “For by it (faith) the elders obtained a good testimony”. The writer speaks of the saints of old that gained their reputation not from works but rather from faith. The point he is making is that God has always approved “faith” and not works as the sole basis of righteousness! Faith is NOT “one way to God”, it is the ONLY way to God! Verse 6 affirms this truth as we read “Without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”.

Vs. 3 Thank God I’m an atheist

Vs. 3 There is a third ingredient of faith, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God”.

1. Faith kicks in when a person becomes dissatisfied with the status quo in their life and begins to hope for being someone better.
2. Then faith draws them to seeing what previously they were unaware of; an invisible kingdom that is the explanation of everything our senses had detected. It is here that the “substance of things hoped for”; the things we are longing to for, to be a better person than we have been, will be achieved by acting on the revelation of the things unseen. As we act on that revelation, we become the things hoped for, someone better. That is the story of the whole eleventh chapter of Hebrews, the story of faith. The cool thing is that this same story is being repeated in us at this very moment!

Ah but the skeptic replies; “What about the person who never hears the gospel?” Well, the answer is right in verse 6 as they have the opportunity to exercise faith at its simplest level as the writer declares, “He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him.” Any person who wants to be better, who believes that God exists and who will obey that revelation and is expecting God to change them will come to the place of knowing Jesus Christ. Because as we are told “Without that faith it is impossible to please God.”

Verse 3 also introduces us to a very amazing deduction which reveals the implications of faith. This statement, by the writer, was made in the 1st century when the best scientific minds of the day believed that the explanation of matter was fourfold: fire, water, soil, and air. Now, after thousands of years of human endeavor in exploring the secrets of the origin of matter, this view has not changed. The writer explains why, “By FAITH we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible”. The writer says that we can never explain the things which are seen till we come to grips with the things that are unseen. The person of faith arrived at exactly the same conclusion as the man of science, only two thousand years earlier. Faith puts a person immediately in touch with reality. Faith deals with facts, truths that were very clearly stated for any person who reads the very first sentence in the Bible, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Faith grounds one immediately on reality.

• Science cannot tell how human history is going to end, but by faith I know.
• Science cannot tell us what’s wrong with humanity, why people throughout time continue to act the way they do, but by faith we know.
• Science cannot tell us what lies beyond our earthly existence, but by faith we know what lies beyond.
• Science cannot explain our subconscious, how to realize our dreams, but faith can.

This is why faith always pleases God, because it comes to grips with reality that God is the Ultimate Realist.

  

 

Hebrews 11:4

“The testimony of Abel”

 

• Introduction
• 4a True sacrifice
• 4b True righteousness
• 4c True witness

 

Introduction

 

The theme of the 11^th chapter of Hebrews is obviously “FAITH”. In the first three verses the writer defined it for his readers. In verses 4-7 he illustrates the definition by going back into the Hebrew’s history to look at three demonstrations of faith. There are far more than three illustrations of faith through Jewish history, but these first three illustrate what faith is, the rest reveal how faith works. These three men (Abel, Enoch and Noah) lived by faith and chose to believe God when the world around believed something else. The result was that each one found ultimate reality and solved the greatest problem of their life, by realizing that their deepest desire was found in a relationship with God. The writer went as far back as he could to bring up the first illustration of faith, Abel. He is the first in a long line of faith-filled people who could teach the Hebrews about a life of faith, even though his was cut short. His faith is extremely important as it related to the Hebrew’s because his life reveals that from the beginning God revealed that the only thing He would except to redeem fallen humanity was, “FAITH” and not works! Some may wonder, why start with Abel and not his parents Adam and Eve? The reason is simple Adam and Eve could not be persons of faith in the same way as their descendants as they had walked with God “face to face” walking and talking with Him in the Garden. Until they sinned, they had no need of faith, because they lived with God in His light. And even after they sinned, they still had the memory and knowledge of that relationship with God. Cain and Able were the first to have need of faith and Able was the first “man of faith” as it related to having a relationship with God.

 

Vs. 4a True sacrifice

Vs. 4a Based upon this verse we see that Abel’s faith led him to three progressive actions:

1. Offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain: First, Abel offered a TRUE SACRIFICE. Able offered a better sacrifice not because he was better but because he simply believed what God has made known to them about the sacrifice and offered it.
2. Through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: Second, because of this offering Abel obtained TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS. Abel’s sacrifice based upon faith is that which led to God declaring him right with Him.
3. And through it he, being dead still speaks: Third, because of the above two Abel secured a PERMANENT AND TRUE WITNESS. And that declared righteousness is what continually speaks to all humanity throughout every generation.

To examine Abel’s faith it is clear the writer intended it to be compared to that of his brother’s Cain’s, as we are told that “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain..” To do this we will need to discover what made Abel choose this sacrifice compared to Cain?  These were the world’s first brothers, Cain and Abel, sons of Adam and Eve. They lived when the world was young, in the days before income tax and world governments. We first need to examine what they both had known about the right sacrifice based upon Gen. 3:15 where we are told that God said, “I will put enmity Between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”:

• They both would have known God had put their parents out of the garden because of sin.
• They both would have known that even though judgment sent them out of God’s presence, grace promised a way back. Within the curse itself was a promise of a Redeemer being offered. Judgment was being executed at the same time mercy was being offered and both of these two sons would have known that. In Genesis 3:15 we are told by God that “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Notice that the word “seed” is singular and not plural.
• This is further brought to light in their two names:

1. Cain: Means “to get or I have gotten” and comes from the statement of Eve in Genesis 4:1 where she exclaims, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.” In Hebrew some believe that her statement is “I have gotten, even the Lord” which indicates that Adam and Eve clearly understood the shadow of the sacrifice and the substance being the incarnation. But the son they had thought was the redeemer was the world’s first murder, not it’s savior. What Adam and Eve didn’t understand was that “flesh can only produce flesh” and in Adam all die as the sons of Adam cannot give life which they do not have. Cain was a “tiller of the soil” or farmer.
2. Abel: Means “breath” and carries the idea of weakness or brevity. It seems that early own after Cain’s birth Adam and Eve knew that Cain wasn’t the answer and named their second soon “weakness”. Abel was a “keeper of flocks” or shepherd.

• Both were conceived after the fall and born outside of Eden, the second and third people to live on earth. As such both were sinners by nature and choice.
• Both had the same natures, inclinations and temptations as every other human born from them on. In other words, neither of them had an unfair advantage over the other to make the right choice.

In Genesis 4:3-5 we are told that, “In the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.” Here we learn that each of these two equally possessed the same three things with regards to worshipping God:

1. The time for worship: “In the process of time”! In the Hebrew this phrase means “at the end of days” and speaks of a specific period of time. Based upon this it seems that as far as these two sons, their parents had passed down from God a “designated” special time for worshipping God. The fact that both boys did so at the same time indicates this.
2. The place for worship: “Cain brought…Abel also brought”! Because both sons brought an offering there was clearly a specific place for worship. There is no mention of them erecting an alter and it could be that one already existed on the east side of Eden, built by their parents. It seems consistent with God’s nature of Grace that He would have provide instruction for one that would have included a mercy seat where they could come and place the shed blood of the lamb for atonement, even though it would have been only a shadow.
3. The way to worship: I also believe that God had clearly established the “way to worship”. In Genesis 3:21 we are told that “for Adam and his wife Eve the Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed them.” So that the sacrifice for their sin was symbolically covered by the shedding of blood of an innocent animal and was something that they knew from the beginning of the fall. These two sons would have known this handed down from their parents. In Genesis 5:4-5 the fact that God accepted only Abel’s animal offering while rejecting Cain’s indicates that the sacrificial pattern had been established and practiced as a pattern of worship towards God as God would not have rejected Cain’s offering if Cain had no way of knowing what to offer. Furthermore, Romans 10:17 tells us that “faith comes from hearing and hearing from the word of God” Abel must have obeyed the revelation of the Word of God whereas Cain rejected it.

Both of these two sons knew the time and place for worship, and I believe that they both knew the way to worship was offering a symbolic sacrifice for sin. But only Abel offered what God had revealed to the booth of them. There was nothing wrong with offering grain, fruit, or vegetables as an offering to God; the Mosaic covenant included in the future such offerings. The problem was that the “blood offering” was always first as Leviticus 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood thatmakes atonement for the soul.” And Hebrews 9:22 “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Abel presented his sacrifice based upon trusting God at His word (faith) and it was because of this (faith) that the sacrifice was accepted by God. Abel did what God had said and in so doing revealed his obedience while also acknowledging his sin. Cain was disobedient not because of ignorance but willfulness. Able offered a better sacrifice because God had prescribed a “blood sacrifice”.

• Abel gave God, what God wanted: Abel acknowledged his own sin! Abel approached God saying, “Lord, this is what You said You wanted, and You promised that if I brought it, You would forgive my sin! I believe You, God.”
• Cain gave God, what Cain wanted: Cain acknowledged his own works! Cain had the same knowledge as his brother Abel but chose instead to say, “Lord, I know that you say that You wanted a blood sacrifice, but I don’t believe you and I believe if I offer the best of my works, it will be good enough because I’m a good person!”
• Cain believed IN God, otherwise he wouldn’t have come to God at the right TIME and the right PLACE. He even understood that he OWED God some sort of worship. But though he recognized God, he didn’t OBEY God. Cain believed IN God but didn’t BELIEVE GOD! Cain thought that he could approach God in the way he wanted, and he expected God to be impressed by his WORKS and in so doing Cain became the father of all religion! Religion is: Trying to come to God by ANY OTHER WAY other than the WAY God has prescribed!

In Acts 4:12 we are told that, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Religion says that there is another name another way to God than the way God Himself has ordained. But Proverbs 14:12 reminds us that, “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” Cain didn’t mind worshiping God as long as he could do so “religiously on his own terms, in his own way”! And it is this God rejected. This is why Jude warns his readers in 1:11 “Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain,…” Setting up one’s own religious standards and way of approaching God, being acceptable to God apart from the only way God has established. Paul said the same thing in Romans 10:2-3, “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.” Cain didn’t want to worship God he only wanted to give the appearance of doing so, he wanted to please himself not God. His sacrifice was “religious activity” designed to show off his own self-righteousness and worthiness! This is what Samuel told Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22 “So Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.”

 

Vs. 4b True righteousness

Vs. 4b Second we are told that “through which he (Abel) obtained witness that he was righteous..” The only thing that Abel did that obtained righteousness was that, in faith, he did what God had told him to do. It was not how good Abel was but that He trusted in God and showed it by obeying Him. Abel was as sinful as Cain, the difference was in the WAY in they sacrificed: Abel was obedient because he trusted God’s word, Cain was disobedient because he trusted in his works. You cannot claim to believe in God and then continually disregard His word. Abel was counted righteous, not because he was righteous, but because he trusted in God’s righteousness!

 

Vs. 4c True witness

Vs. 4c Finally we read that, “God testifying of his (Abel’s) gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.” Abel’s faith continues to speak for thousands of years, three truths to believers and potential believers:

1. Humanity can only come to God by trusting in His word (faith). And never by works!
2. Humanity must accept and obey God’s Word above their own reason, self-effort and works!
3. Humanity’s sin will be judged and no amount of good works, religious effort for a lifetime will ever be able to atone for it. Apart from receiving Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf all of our good works and religious effort have gained us eternity in hell!

It is as Habakkuk said in 2:4 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.” We cannot receive God’s enablement for our problems until we first lay aside all dependence upon ourselves.

 

Hebrews 11:5-6

“The testimony of Enoch”

 

• Introduction
• 5 Enoch’s story
• 6 A pleasing walk

 

Introduction

As noted, verses 4-7 offers the reader three demonstrations of the definition of faith that the writer spoke of in the first three verses of Hebrews Chapter 11.

• In Abel we examined his life and true “WORSHIP” by faith.
• In Enoch, we will examine the true “WALK” by faith.
• In Noah, we will examine what true “WILLING OBEDIENCE” by faith looks like.

Able spoke to us of how “TRUE WORSHIP” by faith will change your DESTINATION!

Enoch will speak to us how “TRUE WALK” by faith will change your DESTINY!

 

Vs. 5 Enoch’s story

Vs. 5 Like Abel, there are very few verses that give us any insight with regards to Enoch. First to clarify; the Enoch mentioned Genesis 4:17-18 is not the same Enoch mentioned in Genesis 5:18-24. It is interesting that both Lamech and his grandfather Enoch share names in common with their ungodly relatives, Cain’s descendants. Furthermore, these are the only two who did not outlive their fathers and both had words from the Lord. The thought is that they were called to reach out to the Canaanite’s! The first one is in the linage of Cain where the one the writer makes reference too is from the Godly line of Seth who was born when Adam was 130 years old. So, including the Genesis 5:18-24 passage Enoch appears in only five scriptures and two of those are just geologies (1 Chron 1:3 and Luke 3:37). So, our complete knowledge of him comes form; Genesis 5:18-24, here in Hebrews 11:5-6 and Jude 1:14. Jude 1:14 tells us that he was the seventh generation from Adam. Genesis 5:18-24, we are told that for 65 years he lived like everyone else before him in his day. It is in Genesis 5:20-24 that we gain insight into this man of faith’s life: Through these verses we learn three things about Enoch whose name means “teaching”:

• A man of faith in whose life was characterized by pleasing God.

1. 21-22a His walk started after the birth of his son Methuselah when he was 65 years old. The next three hundred years of his life can be summed up by the phrase “walked with God”. In fact, twice in this short account of his life we are told that he “walked with God”. The phrase “walk with God” in the Greek translation of Genesis 5:21-24 and the phrase “pleased God” here in Hebrews 11:5 both use the same Greek word and as such mean the same thing; “walking with God is pleasing God”. Now by these words we know that Enoch had a very special relationship with the Lord. Heb. 11:5 Tells us that “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken, he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” The intimacy in this walk is clearly scene by the words “by faith”. His life was one that was centered on trusting the lord, which implies (obedience, prayer, and heart for God’s word and worship) all of which “please the Lord”.

• A prophet that spoke of impending judgment upon the pre-flood world. According to Gen. 6:5-6 the wickedness of the world at the time of Enoch up to Noah was continually consumed in sin; so that it was their every thought of their heart. We are told that God was grieved and sorry that He had placed mankind upon the earth. There is also an interesting message in the meaning of the names of the Godly line from Adam through Seth. These men’s names present a clear presentation of the gospel.

Hebrew            English

Adam              Man

Seth                 Appointed

Enosh              Mortal

Cainan             Sorrow

Mahalaleel      The Blessed God

Jared               Shall come down

Enoch              Teaching

Methuselah     His death shall bring

Lamech           Despairing

Noah               Rest

If you put these translations of the names into a normal sentence structure it would read: “Man is appointed mortal sorrow; but the blessed God shall come down teaching that His death shall bring the despairing rest!”

2. 22 Apparently Enoch received a prophecy that judgment was coming, and that it was going to happen after his son Methuselah died because he named his son “His death shall bring”. Methuselah has often been used as the answer to the trivia question, “Who is the oldest man recorded in the Bible?” His age and the fact that his death brought upon the earth God’s judgment speaks of God’s longsuffering in that He is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) If you do your math, you will find out that the flood did come in the year of Methuselah’s death in fact some say in the very week of it. So, in Jude 24-25 we are told that for three hundred years Enoch “prophesied about these men” (that is this 300-year generation just before the judgment of the flood). Saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousand of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

• A man who was suddenly taken to the presence of God.

3. 24 It does not say that he died as did the other godly ancestors but that suddenly he was no longer on the earth. Heb. 11:5 uses the word “taken” or as the KJ versions says, “translated”. The word appears 7 times in the NT where it is translated these ways, “carried back, turning, being changed”. So, what we have here is a rapture like occurrence which is spoken of in 1 Thess. 4:17 where we read that those, “who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” The word “caught up” is “harpazo” in the Greek, which is translated into Latin with the word “rapture”. Now what is interesting, in light of the New Testament, is that this proceeded God’s judgment upon the earth. Enoch’s being carried backdid not occur at the midpoint of God’s judgment upon the earth. Neither was he preserved as Noah and his family was, going through the judgment. No, he was caught up and carried back being changed instantly as he was brought into the presence of God, so he is a typology of the Church as Noah is of Israel.

 

Vs. 6 A pleasing walk

Vs. 6 Enoch’s life ought to be what we see in the Church prior to God’s judgment upon the earth. That is, we ought to have:

• A walk that is pleasing to God
• Mouths that consistently speak the Word of God
• Lives that are ready to be instantly in the presence of God

The question that this ought to inspire in our hearts is “How are we to be this kind of Christian?” That is where Hebrews 11:6 comes in as we see Enoch’s threefold testimony of a walk that is pleasing to God:

1. 6a “Without God it is impossible to please Him (God), for he who comes to God must believe that He is..”: Enoch had a hearty that consistently desired above all else desired to please God. This speaks that he only did, as Jesus says of himself in John 8:29 “those things that please Him.” A life consistently lived in obedience to the word of God! Religion doesn’t “please God” as it is a system that by definition is: Trying to come to God by ANY OTHER WAY other than the WAY God has prescribed! The first step of faith that Enoch did was to simply believe that God exists the way that He revealed Himself in the Bible. God cannot be proved by science any more than Abraham Lincoln can be proved by science. For something to be proved by science it has to be repeatable and history by its very nature is unrepeatable! We can learn many things that give evidence of God such as the “law of cause and effect” that holds that for every cause; there must be an effect. So, if you keep pushing back further and further you will end up with an “uncaused cause” and the ONLY UNCAUSED CAUSE is God! That’s what the writer said in Hebrews 3:4 “For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.” The Law of entropy says that: Everything is running down and therefore is not self-sustaining. If it is not self-sustaining than it has to have a beginning and if it has a beginning than someone had to begin it and we are back to God and they uncaused cause! There is the Law of design: That notes the amazing complexity of design and the uniformity and functionality of design, all of which speaks of intelligence of God and the uncaused cause! Reason cannot prove the existence of God but like science it gives a great deal of evidence. Mankind, being personal, conscious, rational, creative, and volitional makes it inconceivable that we could come into being by random chance and chaos. To believe that mankind who is personal and thinking could somehow have developed from slime up an imaginable evolutionary chain makes no logical sense! The very idea of God lends substance to the fact that He is and furthermore, the fact that mankind can conceive of God suggests that God has given mankind the ability of such a conception and that there would be a God who exactly fits this conception!
2. 6b “For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who”: The next step of faith for Enoch isn’t just to believe that God is moral and just and that He will reward faith in Him! To Enoch God was “NOT merely the man upstairs” He wasn’t an impersonal force. Enoch walked with God and knew Him in a way that was personal and loving. You don’t “WALK” with a “force”; for two years Enoch had consistent personal fellowship with the true living God, who revealed Himself to Enoch as being: Just merciful, forgiving, holy and loving! You cannot please an impersonal object! Enoch lived a life that trusted God and not his own insight. Enoch knew and trusted God’s character to always do what was best. Proverbs 8:17 says, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.” The reward God gives for faith is our salvation as every good thing that God has, including eternal life is a reward for our faith!
3. 6c “diligently seek Him”: Lastly, we see that in both of the above his heart was one of diligence. Enoch’s master passion was to seek the Lord (walking with God), in other words the Lord was fixed upon the throne of his heart. The term “walking with God” in the Bible speaks of a life spent faithfully living with God in “newness of life” (2 Corinth. 5:7). A life characterized by the words of Paul in Galatians 5:16 “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” And Ephesians 5:2 “Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Enoch walked with God for 300 years in the same way in which he would be walking with God in heaven. A little Sunday School girl said it this way, “Enoch was a man who learned to walk with God, and they used to take long walks together. One day they walked so far that God said, ‘Look, Enoch, it’s too far for you to go back; just come on home with me.’ So, he walked on home with God.” That is the reality that Enoch discovered by a walk of faith. It was not Enoch’s retirement that gave him a deeper security. At 65 he began to enjoy the continuous presence of an unseen personal God, and he related his life daily to Him. He discovered a fellowship that death could not interrupt.

 

 

Hebrews 11:7

“Nutty Noah”

 

• Introduction
• 7a Noah
• 7b His response to God’s Word
• 7c His life demonstrating God’s rebuke to the world
• 7d His receiving of God’s righteousness

 

 

Introduction

We come now to the third and final demonstration that the writer offers to his definition of faith in the first three verses. To recap:

• Abel’s life was what true WORSHIP of God by faith looked like
• Enoch’s life was what a true WALK by faith looked like
• Now in Noah we will examine what true WILLINGNESS in obedience looks like

It is important to carefully read the writer’s illustration with regards to Noah as he writes, “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” It is clear that the writer’s point is NOT Noah’s PRESERVATION but rather his PREPARATION. And what we learn initially is that because of Noah’s FAITH in God’s word in which he displayed willingly obedience his “preparation” led to his and his family’s “preservation”! Noah believed God in a prophetic way; he believed God when “warned of things NOT YET SEEN”. He trusted God’s Word that God alone was in control over all of human history. Like the other illustrations offered by the writer it is clear by the brevity of the verse he knew that the original reader would have clearly and concisely understood his point, so much so that he need not go into any further detail. Though I’m certain that was the case with the original Hebrew readers that is not the case for most of the gentile readers today, so we will be going back to look at the pertinent verses with regards to Noah and this illustration.

Vs. 7a Noah

Vs. 7a “By faith NOAH”: First we will need to go back to Genesis chapter 6 verses 8-13 where we find that though wickedness was great on the earth there was a man, “Noah” who looked into the eyes of the Lord and not into the eyes of the world. Notice that it says that he “found grace”! It NEVER SAYS he earned it! The truth is that grace found Noah, as God had been searching the earth to show Himself strong on behalf of one who’s heart was fixed upon HIM! There was nothing special about Noah other then he responded to God’s grace. Because of God’s grace in the life of Noah we see seven qualities:

1. 8 Position: “found grace”. Noah’s position before God was upon grace, not of works.
2. 9 Attitude: “just man”. Because Noah was right with God, he was right with the world and showed this by being just.
3. 9 Character: “perfect”. The idea of this word is that of being whole. Noah was a whole man in a broken world.
4. 9 Witness: “in his generations”. Noah’s life of grace could be clearly seen amongst those whom he lived with.
5. 9 Fellowship: “walked with God”. The idea here is that of friendship as well as fellowship. Noah’s best friend was God and he walked with Him daily!
6. 22 Conduct: “Noah did”. Noah had habit of obeying God daily.
7. 22 Standard: “according to all that God commanded him, so he did”. Noah’s standard was the word of God, what God said Noah did!

In verses 10-12 we see that Noah led his wife three sons and their wives to find grace as well. Four times in this account we are told that mankind was all corrupt and violent. That was the sum of the character of the world’s population during Noah’s day. Genesis 6:13 records four things God told Noah about His impending judgment:

1. 13 His plan to destroy the earth: “The end of all flesh has come before Me”.
2. 13 The reason why: “Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth”: God’s judgment was not to destroy man from the earth but rather with the earth. Man’s home his security must be wiped out so that those eight people would see how everything must depend upon a relationship with God.
3. 14-16 His plans to save Noah and his family:
4. 17 The means to destroy the earth: “I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth”.

There are three proofs of Noah’s “willing obedience” by faith:

• His response to God’s Word
• His life demonstrating God’s rebuke to the world
• His receiving of God’s righteousness

 

Vs. 7b His response to God’s Word

Vs. 7b His response to God’s Word. “..being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving f his household”: According to Genesis 7:1-16 one hundred twenty years passed from the time that God first spoke to Noah concerning the flood and the time in which they entered the ark. During those years he raised three sons saw them marry, built a massive ship on dry land, and stored all the supplies that would be necessary to care for the living cargo. For one hundred twenty years after that divine warning Noah stayed obedient and faithful to God’s calling and because he did, not only did he secure his salvation but that of his households as well. Noah believed God when He told him there was coming a great flood of judgment. 2 Peter 2:5 describes Noah NOT as a ship builderbut as a “preacher of righteousness”. I’m certain that when Noah was asked what he was doing everyone laughed, he must have been the brunt of every joke for 120 years. But Noah in willing obedience just kept on building the Ark. That may be unusual today but in Noah’s time it would have been strange for four reasons:

1. First, he built it five hundred miles from the nearest ocean!
2. Second, he built it because he said that a flood was coming in a time that it had never rained!
3. Third, he began building it 120 years before it would be used!
4. Fourth, he built it a thousand times too big for his own family, and when he finished it he filled it with supplies and animals!

I can’t be sure of this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the people in Noah’s day didn’t call him “Nutty Noah.” He could have wasted the 120 years of his life had he and his family not responded to God’s words and entered the Arch. A lot of folks spend their entire life build a religious ark, which may very well be capable of saving them, but in the end never personally get on board themselves. They end up drowning outside the boat they built alongside those who never picked up a board, nail or hammer a day of their lives. “It was not building the ark that saved Noah and his family it was getting on board!”

 

Vs. 7c His life demonstrating God’s rebuke to the world

Vs. 7c His life demonstrating God’s rebuke to the world. “by which he condemned the world”: Noah’s willing obedience included passing on to the rest of the world God’s message of coming judgment. With every board, nail and pitch applied there was a new message of coming judgment! In Genesis 7:5-6 we are told that Noah’s defining quality was that of obedience as it says that he did not just “do” he “did all”! The words “did according to all that the LORD” is the summation of Noah’s 120 years of doing what the Lord commanded. I have little doubt that as difficult as building the Ark was, it was far easier than dealing with preaching to the people who didn’t want to hear or be reminded of the truth Noah was building! Why even Noah entrance in the ark was a rebuke to the world as we are told in Genesis 7:13-16 the order of entrance into the ark:

1. On the first of the week prior to any sign of impending danger Noah and his family enter.
2. Soon after God brought the animals two by two, and this continued on throughout he week until we are told “all flesh went in as God had commanded”.
3. Finally, in verse 16b God’s gave a final seal of assurance as we are told that, “the LORD shut him in”: God’s sealed Noah and his family in the ark so that Noah was not only safe he was secure. All of which was a rebuke to the world!

Vs. 7d His receiving of God’s righteousness

Vs. 7d His receiving of God’s righteousness “..and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”: Noah’s faith was proved by his receiving God’s righteousness. God looks through the lens of His Son, and He sees us through as He sees Jesus. Because Noah believed God and demonstrated it by willing obedience Noah proved that God alone controls history. The inhabitance of the world except for Noah and his family, were the ones who were living by the light of their own reason. Because of this Noah became, “the heir of the righteousness which comes by faith”. Based upon Noah we see that FAITH does three things:

• Faith lives out, in willing obedience, that there is another dimension to life than that which can be touched, tasted, seen or felt.
• Faith believes that God’s grace, has stepped over the boundary of human history and revealed through His Word great facts.
• Faith then adjusts our life to those facts and walks on that basis.

 

Hebrews 11:8-10

“Abraham’s faith: Deaf, dumb and blind”

 

• Introduction
• 8 The Pilgrimage of Abraham’s faith
• 9 The patience of Abraham’s faith
• 10 The reason for Abraham’s faith

 

 

Introduction

 

The writer of Hebrews says that man’s reasoning invariably misinterprets the evidence of life. He goes on to point out, that God has spoken to man basic truths about life. Without faith we struggle in a confused cycle of bewilderment, boredom, and barriers. The writer has made it clear that the revelation of God centers around Jesus. Therefore, the life of faith begins with acceptance of him. Faith is a very practical thing!

• Faith starts with the desire for something better.
• Then it moves forward with the search that what is missing is Someone and that this Someone is real all the while being invisible to our natural senses. And that this Someone will complete what we have recognized is missing!
• Then faith moves to an assurance that obedience to that Someone will bring us to the something better.

The writer understood that his definition in Hebrews 11:1-3 needed “flesh and blood examples”, “historical illustrations” as the 11^th chapter gives stories of men and women like us, who faced what we faced in a world like ours yet mastered their problems and obstacles by faith. This chapter points out characteristics of faith. Faith always anticipates, it moves toward an expected event in the future. It was Kierkegaard that said, “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.” Without faith, life is a blind march into a mystery:

• We cannot know where we are going
• We do not know what is coming
• We do not see what lies ahead

Therefore, as Spanish philosopher George Santayana said we are left with the only way to avoid an uncertain future as, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” And history has shown time and time again that we humans are those “who cannot remember the past” as we continue to “repeat it”! The future becomes what Winston Churchill describes Russia as “A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma!” Without faith, anything can happen and all that is left is a sense of anxiety in trying to walk forward into life!

But faith believes that God has revealed something about the future; He has revealed enough for us to move forward in hope and peace. Because of faith in God: Our anxiety about our future has been replaced by anticipation of it. Faith gives our life a goal, a purpose and as well as a destination. We see this in Abraham. It is amazing how far Abraham saw. Abraham lived several thousand years before Christ; yet he, looked forward by faith. He believed what God had said and, looked across over forty centuries of time to a day according to Hebrews 11:10 when God would bring forth on earth a city with eternal foundations and life on earth would be lived after God’s order. Abraham saw what John sees in the book of Revelation, a city coming down out of heaven onto earth. That is what Abraham longed for, an earth lived after God’s order, where men would dwell together in peace, harmony, blessing, beauty, and fulfillment. Because of that he was content to dwell in tents, looking for that coming.

Vs. 8 The Pilgrimage of Abraham’s faith

Vs. 8a “By faith Abraham”. There is much in the life of faith of Abraham that the writer could have drawn from as an example. But he chooses to look at Abram’s life before he was known as Abraham, before the promises of ancestry and blessing of land, back to the time he first heard from the God to leave his nation, culture, and family. Genesis 12:1-3 records this story for us, and Abram is the focus of Genesis from chapter 12 through chapter 25. He is mentioned 260 times in the Bible and ten of those times his name is mentioned in connection with faith. Paul wrote to the Roman’s (4:13, 16) that “the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” Then in verses 16 Paul continues by saying; “that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all” Abram’s life of faith is an example of how we ought to live in Christ. There are, according to the writer of Hebrews, two examples in this illustration that he wishes to make concerning Abraham and those two examples are followed by the reason why Abraham exhibited this kind of faith. You will note these two examples by the two-word phrase “By faith” and you will see the reason for thisby the two-word phrase “for he”.

Vs. 8b The Pilgrimage of Abraham’s faith: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” The first thing we read in Genesis 12:1 is that “The LORD had said to Abram:” To give you a chronological time table of this; we last read of God speaking the same way 420 years earlier in chapter 9 to Noah. Here we see God calling out to a mankind through a servant named Abram.

The Greek wording here is very exact and indicates that Abraham’s immediate obedience to God’s call. In fact, it literally reads, “When Abraham was called, obeyed to go out”, which indicates that his calling and his obedience were almost simultaneous. The Greek further indicates that Abraham was not concerned as to the nature of where the country was that he was being called too. His faith in God had displaced his worry as to where he was going. It was NOT the attractiveness of the land of Canaan that made it easy for him to leave Ur.

Though that is how the writer of Hebrews describes this saying that as soon as God said go “Abraham started packing”; Steven, in his message before the Sanhedrin in Acts chapter 7 said that, “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, BEFORE he dwelt in Haran, and said to him, ‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.’ “Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell.” It is here that we see something very interesting: Abram’s father Terah was 70 years old when Abram was born and Abram was 75 when he departed Haran to go to Canaan, that makes Terah 145 when Abram left Haran. Based upon Steven’s words in Acts chapter 7, God’s call came to Abram “BEFORE he dwelt in Haran”. Abram left with his father sometime after Haran (Terah’s 2^nd son) died and moved up from Ur near the Persian Gulf to the city of Haran (named after Abram’s brother), which is in modern day Iraq. Steven says that Abram’s departure was after his father Terah died (Acts 7:4); yet Genesis 11:32 says that Terah dies at the age of 205. This means if you do the math that: Terah would not die until for another 130 years! Terah’s name means “delay” and the city of Haran means “parched and barren”. We cannot be sure how long Abram stayed with his father in Haran but we can say that “his DELAY left him PARCHED and BARREN!” We are left with only two conclusions based upon this evidence:

• Abram had two calls. Which there is no evidence of!
• Abram’s “immediate obedience to God’s call “took longer than what we would normally call “immediate obedience”! I bring this up as this story is the one the author choses to illustrate Abraham’s faith. And it seems to suggest that God “recognizes the heart above the action” with regards to “Abraham’s immediate obedience to God’s call.”   

Notice the threefold call to Abram

This is further illustrated as we examine the threefold call to Abram in the words in Genesis 12:1. The words “Get out” are literally “Go for yourself” which implies that God’s call of separation was intended to BENEFIT Abram! I mention this as an application point to our examination of Abram’s faith as, to often we see God’s call separating us as a penalty upon our freedom instead a pathway to blessing! Abram teaches us that, “God’s way is the best way; leaving the world is the surest way to be blessed.” In Genesis 12:3 we see both:

1. There is a threefold progression of separation FROM the things of the world
2. And a threefold blessing to what God calls Abram TOO.

The point for us is that God never calls away from something that He does not call us to something better. The fact is as Jesus said in John 12:24 “unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”

Threefold progression of separation FROM the things of the world:

1. “Out of your country” National: This was the place of Abram’s birth it was his national identity! As this relates to us: Our call is NOT to be American Christians it is to be Christian Americans! Abram’s identity was to be found in his faith in the Lord not in what or how they worshipped their god or gods. We must be aware of this danger that seeks to bend our faith in Christ into our culture instead of bending submitting our life into the word of God.
2. “From your family” Cultural: God’s call included being called away from the culture that made up the area in which Abram was from. There are a great many things that are cultural expressions from where we are from. Now not all of these are bad but not all fit within the confines of Christianity.
3. “And from your father’s house” Family: He was called ought of his family as well. I believe this has to do with what his chief affection was. Jesus said in Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” Jesus used the word “HATE” to show the comparison of how much greater our love for Him ought to be compared with our love of our families. There can be only one on the throne of our heart and it is only when He is there that we can love our nation, culture, and families the way He has called us too.

 

Vs. 9 The patience of Abraham’s faith

 

Vs. 9 The patience of Abraham’s faith: “By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise..” The word “dwelt” in the Greek means to “dwell beside or among” and indicates “a foreigner dwelling in a state without rights or citizenship”. Abraham’s faith inspired him to endure patently in an unsettled life, because he was assured of a permanent home in the future! Here the emphasis is not upon his pilgrimage but upon Abraham’s patience. And this goes into explain perhaps the delay in “Abraham’s immediate obedience to God’s call.” As it was producing patience in his life. We pick up the story in Genesis 12:2-3 where we see the words, “I will.., make you…, bless you.., make your…, you shall be.” These words are all promises of God’s covenant, and we note that they all proceed everything else and tell us that they were not going to be based upon God’s grace and NOT what Abram may or may not be. Paul reminds Timothy in 2 Tim. 2:13 “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”

Threefold blessing to what God calls Abram TO:

1. “I will make you a great nation” Nation: God calls him out of a nation and in so doing calls him to become a great nation. The nation Abram came out of was idolatrous, but God was promising to make from Abram’s obedience a nation that would trust only the true God.
2. “I will bless you” Culture: The culture was a CURSE now it would be a CURE. All that made up society that was sick would become that which would heal. James 2:23 comments about Abram by saying, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God.” God’s promise to Abram started a whole new culture and identity known as “friends of God”!
3. “And make your name great” Family: Abram had been part of a family now he was to be the head of a new family, the family of faith. Because of this we see that both Jew and gentile look to Abram as our father. He left his father’s name, Abram means “exalted father”, and God will give him a new name Abraham “father of a multitude”.

Vs. 10 The reason for Abraham’s faith

Vs. 10 The reason for Abraham’s faith: “for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker isGod.” The secret of Abraham’s patience was in the hope of the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise. He understood that even if he possessed the land of Canaan in his earthly lifetime, it was not the ultimate eternal fulfillment of God’s promise. Abraham’s eyes were the eternal NOT the temporal. He wasn’t just looking for a city that had “foundations” but one that had specific foundations: One whose architect was God and whose builder was God. And because of this based upon Genesis 12:2b-3 Abram’s faith in God was a threefold blessing:

1. “And you shall be a blessing” Nation: Abram’s new nation he was NOT just to BE the OBJECT of God’s blessing he was to be the INSTRUMENT of it as well. Abram’s life of faith is an example as those who are blessed will bless others.
2. “I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you” Culture: Abram’s cause was going to be the Lord’s cause so however the world responded to Abram was either going to be a blessing to them or a woe.
3. “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” Family: Gal 3:9 says, “So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” We are now of the same family of faith as Abram was.

To devote a whole month to the Lord is one thing because we know that there is a time limit to it but in Abraham, we see that his faith was month after month year after year. Here we learn by Abraham’s example that True faith is deaf to doubt, dumb to discouragement, and blind to impossibility! No matter what our senses indicates our faith rests on God’s promises.

 

Hebrews 11:11-12

“When I am weak, then I am strong”

 

• Introduction
• 11 Learning to believe
• 12 At the set time

 

 

Introduction

 The unapologetic statement of Hebrews chapter 11 is that “Faith Works”! Faith is NOT in opposition of WORK; it is the MOTIVATION of WORKS! Faith is, doing something now, in view of the future. Some in the Church think that we are called to sit and wait for Jesus to take us home, but that view is NOT living the LIFE OF FAITH. The life of faith is what Jesus said in Luke 19:13 “Doing His business till He comes”. These examples of faith in Hebrews 11, were set to work by their faith. Their activities of faith changed the course of history; and saints ours can too!

• Faith does NOT act blindly, it’s NOT just doing ANY activity; faith evaluates, it weighs the possibilities, and the alternatives.
• Faith gladly sacrifices the present advantage to gain the future promised. These heroes of faith speak to us today saying, “Live now in view of the future, and you will gain both the future and the present!”

One of those “characteristics of faith” is found in Hebrews 11:11-12 and Sarah where we notice that “faith dares”. We shall see this morning that when God spoke to Sarah, her faith had to ignore the contrary evidence even though the evidence made her situation absolutely impossible. To look at this text, we will need to examine the original language as well as take a look at the illustration found when we look at Genesis chapters 15-18 and the fulfillment in Genesis chapter 21.

Vs. 11 Learning to believe

Vs. 11a “By faith Sarah herself”: The Greek wording of this pronoun “herself” emphasizes that it was Sarah who was previously “unbelieving” of God’s promise of an heir through her that NOW responded in faith. To understand this, we need to go back before the writer’s illustration in Hebrews 11 to Genesis 15:1-6. There we are told that Abram had a vision in which the Lord said, “I am your shield, your exceeding great reward”, to which Abram respond in verse 2 “Lord God” or “Adhonay Yahweh” which shows that Abram was not doubting God’s power to perform what He promised but questioned HOW this would be accomplished. Abram’s next words were “What will you give me” and should better be rendered as in one translation “you have given me everything I could ask for, except children”. Back in Genesis 12:2 and 13:6 God had already promised Abram descendants but by this time in Genesis 15, ten years had passed and there was still no fulfillment. By now he and Sarai were well past the age of child baring. In fact, according to the Hebrew the phrase of 15:2 “I go childless” is literally “stripped of children”. Then in verse 3 Abram speaks to God about his inability to understand how God is going to accomplish that which He promised by saying that the only heir of his entire house was Eliezer (God is my help) because he was born in his house. In spite of this question as to HOW God would fulfill His promise, God answers with a further promise and not a rebuke. God has told Abram three times that He will give him an heir and in verses 4-5 He does so again saying:

1. 4 “This one shall not be your heir”: He has not forgotten His promise
2. 4“But one who will come”: He reminds Abram of His original promise in 12:2, 13:15-16.
3. 4“From your own body shall be your heir”: He gives further understanding of His promise so that Abram would not misunderstand what God was going to do.
4. 5 “Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be”: Finally, God confirms it with an illustration showing Abram His power to perform the impossible. He is the God who made the heavens out of nothing but the power of His word in power and He will have no problem being able to bring forth descendants from a barren womb.

It’s in Genesis 15:6 we read for the first time in the Bible that someone “believed”. The root of the word in Hebrew is where we get the word amen and means, “it is so”. When you believe you are saying “it is so” and NOT “MAY it be so”! Abraham’s Faith took God at His WORD and responded to His Word before He even performed it. Notice what the object of Abrams faith was, “in the LORD”. He didn’t say “it is so” based upon a higher power or trusting in his trust. Faith is NOT the most important factor alone; it is the object of FAITH! Because Abram said “it is so” to the Word of the Lord his acting upon this was accounted to him as righteousness.

Vs. 11b “Also received strength to conceive seed..”: The Greek phrase means “throwing down” and relates to the male seed in the womb. The question to Greek scholars with reference to this is does this refer too Abraham through Sarah“receiving strength” with his seed or Sarah “receiving strength” as she was past age? Here again it is helpful to go back to Genesis 16:1-4 where we are told in verse 2 the “adverse circumstances” combined with “appropriate opportunity” led to six reasons why the two of them came up with the plan to use her maid Hagar to fulfill God’s promise:

1. “See now, the LORD has restrained ME from bearing children.” She recognized that the Lord had power over their lives, so she deduces that the problem in fulfilling the promise made was her and not Abram’s or the Lord’s fault.
2. “Has restrained me from bearing children.” She believed that the situation was hopeless because she was the problem, and she could not be fixed.
3. “Please, go into my maid.” She believed God’s promises, but God never said that the Child would come from her only that the child would come from Abraham.
4. “Please”: She believed that there was still a way to accomplish God’s promises by spiritual means.
5. “Go in to”. Her request involved two good traits:
6. Self-denial: She had to deny herself her own desire of being the instrument of God fulfilling his promise of a child.
7. Self-sacrifice: Though she would still be Abram’s wife she would be promoting Hagar to be his second wife and not just her maid.
8. “My maid”. Hagar was the opportunity to accomplish what God had promised but she was unable to produce.

The solution that these two came up with is found in Genesis 16:3-4a. First, we need to realize that the act did not involve romance it was only about conception, as the handmaid would actually sit on her master’s lap (Sarai) as Abram inseminated her. But even though all this was true it didn’t make it right. This shows us what links the flesh will go to obtain the promises of God! The flesh will do anything except die to obtain the promises of God. Let this story forever put an end to the false teaching that: “God helps those who help themselves”. This is where we can insert Hebrews 11:11 and Sarah “received strength” as she would conceive 13 years later and could have avoided all of this fleshly work as God always keeps His promises. The worst thing was, that their plan succeeded as Hagar conceives. Barnhouse wrote; “Christian work that is done through the zeal of human effort without counting the body as dead, may produce great revival campaigns but with few genuine saved, it may produce large numbers in the Church but with many tares in the wheat!”

Vs. 11c “and she bore when she was past age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.” The question is when did this take place? Genesis 17:15-19 reveals that Sarah was taken into the covenant as she is specifically mentioned as being the mother of the child of promise. The truth was the promise was already hers 13 years earlier and she did everything in the flesh to inherit what was already hers by faith. According to God’s words to Abraham in verse 16 there is a mystery that is uncovered only when the read the NT. God said to Abraham, “I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.” Sarah had only one child and from Isaac came only one nation, Israel. Yet God prophetically proclaims that Sarah was to “be a mother of nations”, how is that possible?

1. 1:1 We read, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:” Isaac was not this child, he was week through the flesh, the nation that sprang from him never has fulfilled becoming a blessing to all other nations. Isaiah wrote of this light being singular and not the nation. The Psalmist declared something glorious in 8:4-6 “What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned himwith glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.” In Heb. 2:9 the person the psalmist spoke about is revealed as we are told, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” In Gal. 4:30-31 we are told that “the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.”

Thus, the mystery of this verse is understood only in light of the incarnation of the only Son of God the divine son of Abraham and Sarah. That means that Sarah being a mother of nations speaks of Jesus and that the “nations” is believers! Paul said in Gal. 3:7-8 “Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed. In Genesis 17:17 Abraham’s response is to laugh, not in unbelief, but rather of astonishment and joy. He is told in verse 20 that they will give birth to the child of promise. There are four things mentioned in this verse that through Isaac the promise of the godly line would come:

1. “Sarah your wife shall bear you a son”: The child would be of faith and not the energy of the flesh.
2. “You shall call his name Isaac”: His name will be “he laughs or laughter” which is always produced in the hearts of grace.
3. “I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant”: The covenant with him would be and everlasting one that their son would be the heir of the promise.
4. “With his descendants after him”: The use of these words “descendants” is connected to God’s promises to Abraham over 10 times, so they were assured that the blessing of this child was the same blessing spoken to him 25 years earlier.

In Genesis 18:9-15 the Lord asks Abraham twice where Sarah is thirteen years earlier God had told Abraham His promise but now, He wishes for Sarah to hear it as well. Moses, in verse 11 interjects to explain the impossibility of procreation apart from the Lord’s intervention. The words “Sarah had passed the age of childbearing” literally mean “the manor of a woman had ceased to be with Sarah” which meant that she could not possibly be able to have children. Her case was irreversible, she had already gone through the change of life. In verse 12 she listens to the Word of the Lord and laughs within herself as to the impossibility of her having a child. In her head she says, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” As Sarah was concerned her problem with this word from the Lord was physical and emotional but in reality, her real problem was spiritual. “What Sarah wanted the most in life (the child of promise) she believed could be produced in the energy of the flesh but doubted it could ever take place in the energy of the Spirit!” In Genesis 18:13-14 Sarah is taught four lessons about the Lord that she needs:

1. She was taught that the Lord is all knowing: Sarah saw her limitations, but the God revealed that those limitations were nothing compared to her lack of trusting Him.
2. 14a She was taught He was all-powerful: She viewed herself as being beyond nature, what she did not grasp was what He has promised He alone is able to perform.
3. 14b-15a She was taught that God is a God of grace: He had promised, she had doubted, He had revealed more, she again doubted, He confronts her she denies it. But a year later He will still bring forth the child that He promised. Paul said in 2 Tim. 2:13 “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”
4. 15b She was taught of His holiness: She had lied in her heart, yet God clearly knew that she had lied and confronted her with the truth.

 Vs. 12 At the set time

Vs. 12 The final section is in Genesis 21:1-3 where we are told that “the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken.” Num. 23:19 says that “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” The very first word we are told about Sarah back in Genesis chapter 11:30 was that she was barren and had no children. In Genesis chapter 18:12 when she first heard that it was through her womb that the child of promise was to be born, she laughed in unbelief that at 90 years old she would have a child. The Lord asked her while she was hidden inside the tent, “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?” It had been thirty years since Abraham and Sarah had left Ur in chapter 12, they are now 100 and 90 respectively. Yet we read in Genesis 21:2 that the son of promise was born “at the set time”. What was the set time that Abraham speaks of here? The “set time” was the time it took for Abraham and Sarah to both realize that you could not obtain God’s promises by the work and energy of the flesh. It 30 years for them to die to self, to learn to trust God and His Word and not themselves. Isaac’s name was originally linked to Sarah’s failure to trust God’s Word, yet in the end it becomes linked to joy in God fulfilling His Word in spite of our lack of trust. They could forever look at this child and say his name and be reminded that “when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor 12:10)

 

 

 Hebrews 11:13-16

“Pilgrim’s Progress”

 

• Introduction
• 13 These all
• 14-16 The city of God

 

 

Introduction

The illustrations being offered by the writer are a historical testimony of the characteristics of faith as witnessed by specific people in the Hebrew ancestry. Each person illustrates a vivid picture and in verses 13-16 the writer uses the four he has just written about in verses 8-12 to bring out another characteristic of faith that they all testified of: The persistence of faith. Though these people by faith obtained much from God, the truth was they all died without obtaining the promise they looked for. What this suggests is that what they longed for was eternal in nature and not temporal, they were not going to be satisfied with the “hear and now” of personal satisfaction.  What they longed for was to see God’s purposes and plans fulfilled on earth, which was something none of them witnessed in their earthly lifetime! They were NOT people satisfied with going to heaven they were looking for heaven to come to earth! None of the patriarchs saw the complete fulfillment of God’s promises, but only saw afar off what God was doing. A Scottish pastor once commented on this passage saying, “The important thing is not where we live, but where we are looking to live!” These saints of old were willing to live in tents because they were waiting for a city whose builder and maker is God, (verse 10). We must remember that God always fulfills His promises some immediately, most ultimately!

Vs. 13 These all

Vs. 13 “These all” is a reference to the last five verses of 8-12 and Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob as they had all “died in the faith” and cannot include Enoch of verse 5 as he walked with God and was not. These four lives were lived in deep conviction that God would fulfill all His promises and that death would not negate their fulfillment and in fact they continued to live life as if what God had promised was already their and indeed was by faith! To Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob; Canaan remained a “promised land” even though they dwelt there. This section is a summation of the above passage of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob; the point being made is that “THESE” all exhibited the same six characteristics of faith:

1. They all died full of faith
2. They all never received the promises
3. They all saw them afar off
4. They all were assured of them and embraced their acceptance
5. They all confessed that they were mere pilgrims and strangers in this world
6. They all fixed their hopes on the eternal and not on the temporal

They did these six things voluntarily and had opportunity to return to the world and trust in its rewards but were instead convinced that the promises of God were of far greater value than the temporary benefits of this world. Because of this the God in whom they trusted above this world was proud to be called their God. The writer will focus his attention upon Abraham throughout the 11^th chapter saying that he:

• Obeyed God
• Sojourned in the land of promise
• Obtained the blessing
• Offered his son

Throughout Abraham’s life he lived in his own land as if it belonged to another and all of this was because of what was said in verse 10 that he was looking for a city whose builder and maker was God. His tent was a symbol of how he saw this life as temporary and transient. Faith as seen as Abraham didn’t try to build permanent buildings while waiting for the city of God.  It wasn’t until 500 years later with Joshua that any Israelite began too truly possess the land of promise. Instead, theses four lived as the psalmist declared in Psalm 27:4 “One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.” Looked forward to the day that Jon spoke of in Job 19:25-27 when he said, “I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”

The Greek words “in faith” are literally “according to faith” making this sentence, “These all died according to faith, in as much as they did not receive the promises”. They lived and died by faith and NOT by sight! The Greek word “embraced” is a word that means to “greet or salute” and in the context says that they “saw the promises from afar and greeted them” like a seaman waving at those upon the shore of a land they will not dock nor visit! They accepted the fact that they were just “passing through” this life gazing upon the landscape without making it their home! In a 2^nd century letter too Di-ag-netus, the writer describes Christians in a similar way saying that, “They inhabit their own country, but as temporary resident, they take part of all things as citizens but endure all things as aliens, every country is theirs but in every country they are foreigners!”

14-16 The city of God

Vs. 14 In Genesis 23:4 as Abraham sought to purchase a burial plot for Sarah from Ephron in the land of Canaan he said, “I am a foreigner and a visitor among you.” It is clear that he accepted his status as a pilgrim in the land that was promised to him. The point the writer is making is that if Abraham used language like this saying that the land of promise wasn’t his home than it is obvious that his destination and home was somewhere else! Canaan was no more Abraham’s home as Ur was which he left to go to a country that “God would show him.” Canaan wasn’t the country God was showing him, instead it was the city of verse 10 whose builder and maker was God! “Such a declaration”, the writer states, IS: “Proof that Abraham realized that no earthly location was ever going to be his home!”

Vs. 15 The Greek words “called to mind” mean “habitually remembered” and the meaning is that “IF” they were seeking a country they could have simply returned to the prosperous area of Ur (which was in modern day Iran Iraq) where they had left but that was not their home nor what they were seeking! No one could claim that this was a reference to Mesopotamia as they could have easily gone back there. This point is further brought out in Genesis 24:6 when Abraham was looking for a bride for Isaac and it was suggested that they go back there to find a one and Abraham said, “Beware that you do not take my son back there.” Jacob as well had a vision at Bethel where God referred to Canaan as the “land of his fathers”!

Vs. 16 The reason for this is that what they were longing for was not temporal but eternal and because of this God is proud to give them His surname as in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! So along with a city whose builder and maker is God He is proud to give them the identification of His name! The truth is no land on this earth is our homeland; by faith we look like Abraham for a city whose builder and maker is God! and Because of this we follow the words of Peter in 1 Peter 2:11 view ourselves as “sojourners and pilgrims” or as Pau said of us in Phillip 3:20 “citizens of heaven”. This is why we see, as God said in 1 Samuel 2:30 that, “those who honor Me I will honor” as He gives the highest honor any of His creations can ever have to be called their God!  To relinquish present things in view of future blessings is openly declaring that you have an eye for something far better. No one will ever let go of what they have now unless they are convinced that have something far better waiting for them! Because of this God is delighted to gave them a name to go along with a new home!

Hebrews 11:17-19

“Abraham’s test”

 

• Introduction
• 17 Passing the test
• 18 Together
• 19 The Lord Will provide

 

Introduction

The reference that the writer makes in Hebrews 11:17-19 is from the 22^nd chapter of Genesis and this example of faith is from one of the most interesting chapters in the entire Bible for two reasons:

• Theological: First, it possesses the question: Does God ever ask us to do something that is contrary to His own character and nature?
• Spiritual: Second, it asks us to ask: What spiritual implications does this story have as seen in the New Testament?

That is why we will be spending our time largely in Genesis chapter 22. But before we get there, we need to ask ourselves why the writer asks this question to begin with? What was he trying to convey to the original readers about Jesus that was best illustrated in the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac as it related to trusting in Jesus as their Messiah? I submit to you that the reason for this illustration is that Abraham faced their same dilemma and choose to trust God. One of the reasons some of these Jews wouldn’t trust in Jesus is because they knew that Jesus had died, and they couldn’t comprehend that He would be resurrected from the dead. So, the writer pulls out a historical story of Abraham as an illustration of why they should believe in the resurrection.

Vs. 17 Passing the test

Vs. 17 The opening statement in Genesis 22 verse 1 is, “Now it came to pass after these things”. The purpose of this phrase is to get us to ask the question, “After what things?” The answer is after the events of chapter 21, which centered around God keeping His promises. We could write above verse 1 of chapter 22, “After God showed that He always keeps His promises, He tested Abraham!” The test was for Abraham’s benefit not the Lords. Even though the angel of the Lord says in verse 12 says “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” But the words, “God tested Abraham”, indicate that God knew what was in Abraham’s heart it was Abraham that did not yet know.

In light of what God instructs Abraham to do with Isaac how does this square with James 1:13 “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.” God’s tests are designed for us to pass satan’s are aimed at us failing. This “test” was not a test that would produce faith it was one that revealed faith. Abraham was being asked to place the PROMISER above the PROMISE and it is always the hardest form of idolatry to over come. There are four things to note here in Genesis 22 verse 2:

1. “Take now your son, your only son Isaac”: God declared to Abraham that he only had one son not two. As God never recognizes the offering of anything produced in the energy of our flesh.
2. “Whom you love”: This is the first mention of the word love in the Bible and is a reference of a father’s love for his son. Abraham is being asked to give the dearest love on earth he has to God. Abraham will discover that he needed to love God more than even His blessings!
3. “Go to the land of Moriah, …on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you”: Moriah was about 30 miles from where Abraham lived, and it took three days for them to arrive. Moriah means “chosen by God” this mountain range would be the site of the temple built by Solomon and Herod. Geographically the temple mount is the lowest of the hills followed by the Mount of Olives the highest peak would be Calvary where Abraham took Isaac.
4. “And offer him there as a burnt offering”: The word’s “offer and burnt offering” come from the root word that means “to ascend or be high”. “Slaying a sacrifice” was implied God but He didn’t actually tell Abraham to slay His son. Though prior to the Mosaic Law, this type of offering was known as a “sin offering”.

So, was God demanding a “human sacrifice”? The answer to this question is to interpret the difficult passage in light of the plain scripture. In Deut. 12:31 says, “You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.” What God wanted was not Isaac’s life but rather Abraham’s heart. And in obeying the Lord, Abraham showed to himself that Isaac “the promise” was not an idol in the way of God “the Promiser”. According to verse 3 there was not the slightest bit of hesitation on Abraham’s part:

• He sought no other opinions
• There was no argument from him towards God
• There was no fleece or compromise
• There is no mention of how he felt about this

Abraham’s obedience was not based upon how he felt based upon Heb. 11:17-19 it was based upon a five-letter word TRUST! He did not know how God was going to do it but He knew that God was going to do it and if need be God would raise his only son from the dead. The HOW and the WHY were not Abraham’s problem they were God’s. One person’s put it this way, “We must never doubt in the dark what God has told us in the light!” There are three similarities to Jesus in Genesis 22:5 that the writer of Hebrews knew the readers would see:

1. Abraham saddles up the donkey, split the wood by himself. He did not ask his servants to do what God had asked him to do. In verse 4 we are given a great picture of the resurrection as Isaac was dead to him from the moment God had told him to offer his only beloved son and three days passed before they arrived at Mount Moriah.
2. Abraham calls Isaac a “young man or a lad” and in the Hebrew this word refers to a young adult. According to Genesis 23:1 we know that Sarah lived to be 127 and that she was 90 when Isaac was born which tells us that 37 years had passed from Isaac’s birth to Sarah’s death. I’m of the opinion that Isaac was 33 was years-old at this time which would makes him the same age as was our Lord at the time that He traveled this same hill.
3. Abraham tells two young servants stay while he and Isaac go up on Calvary to worship. Then Abraham says something very interesting, “And WE will come back to you”. No one had ever come back from the dead but Abraham believes that God is able. They are going to worship the Lord after the third day of Isaac who is 33 being dead to his father upon a hill called Calvary and Abraham says, “Both of us are coming down the hill!” The only thing impossible in Abraham’s eyes was that of God breaking his promise of 21:12, “In Isaac your seed shall be called!”

Based upon the Greek of Hebrews 11:17 and the word “tested” implies that Abraham met the test through faith BEFORE there was any visible evidence of God intervening. He fully expected to offer Isaac and he fully expected God to raise his body from the dead out of ashes. His reason for this was that God had promised that the line of ancestry was to come through Isaac and in the offering, it was Abraham’s will that was sacrificed and died not Isaac as his was symbolic!

Vs. 18 Together

Vs.18 Genesis 22:6 makes it plain that Abraham didn’t know that this was a test as he took the wood upon the back of Isaac, the knife in one hand and the fire in the other.  Spurgeon noted that, “Abraham took the knife up that hill, he did not forget it. As he took that knife, and it was cutting into his own heart with every step they took yet he kept walking. Unbelief would have forgotten the knife or dropped it along the way, but faith takes it and hangs on to it even though it is cutting your own heart deeper with each step!”

            We are also told that, “the two of them went together”, the phrase in Hebrew means “the two of them went in agreement.” Isaac was 33 he could have easily overpowered his father. In verses 7-8 Isaac asks a very good question “Where’s the lamb?” In the 13^th verse we are told that a ram is caught in the thicket by its horns, but a ram is not a lamb. Isaac understood that innocent blood must be shed for sinners to be able to approach God thus he asks about the provision for the sacrifice. Literally this phrase in Hebrew is “God will see the lamb for Himself”. Hundreds of years later a prophet named John the Baptist looked out across the Jordan river where he was baptizing & on the bank of the river answered Isaac’s question, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) You see there was another father’s son who would walk up that same hill at the same age with wood upon His back only there would be no ram caught in a thicket as God would provide Himself a Lamb.

It was not the twine that held Isaac as it would not be the nails that would hold the Son of God. No, it was the love of his father that placed him on the altar atop the wood. A Son lay a top the wood ready to be sacrificed and a father with a knife in his hand was ready to take his son, but God will provide a sacrifice. Here is where we are going with this picture: “Abraham displayed his heart towards God by willing laying his son upon the altar, but God also displays His love towards a sinful world by placing His son upon the altar of the cross.” As God spoke to Abraham in verse 12 “now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” We too can say to Him, “Now I know that you love me, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

In Genesis 22:11 we see that Abraham was completely willing to act upon the Word of the Lord, as the angel of the Lord have to stop him. “God takes the heart before He takes the action”, He takes the “will for the deed”. God saw that Abraham was willing to obey no matter what the consequences therefore He did not require the sacrifice. A lot of folks want to know the will of God before they act; but God wants to see if we will act before He will let us know in which way we are to do so! Abraham was so living as if nothing but obeying the Lord was important.

Abraham had said to Isaac that “God will see the lamb for Himself” and there was a ram in the thicket but there was also a Lamb there who would take away the sins of not just Abraham and Isaac but the whole world!

Vs. 19 The Lord Will provide

Vs. 19 Abraham “concluded that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead”. It doesn’t say that Abraham concluded that if he didn’t do as God had said he would squash him like a bug! Abraham’s actions revealed that his offering of Isaac was in obedience to God’s word not because he thought if he didn’t God would punish him instead bit because it showed that Abraham understood God’s character of faithful, unchangeable, merciful, and full of loving kindness. Hebrews 11:9 reminds us that Abraham “dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country dwelling in tents”. This tells us that things were not that which was in danger of being seated upon the throne of Abraham’s heart and that the nearest to his heart, what was the child of promise. Think of the emotions that Abraham must have gone through when he lifted his eyes and saw the ram caught by its horns in a thicket. Isaac was dead to him; thus the hopelessness of this moment was no doubt heavy upon his heart, he had believed according to the New Testament that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead and figuratively this is what God did in providing a substitute sacrifice. What’s interesting to me is based upon Genesis 22:14 you would think that Abraham would have named this hill, trial hill or agony hill but instead he aptly names it “The Lord will provide” mount, or as the Hebrew renders it “Jehovah Jireh”. This mountain bears the name that testified of God’s presence and provision in providing the Lamb of God. Moses interjects saying that even during his day it was known as God’s provision Mountain. People would go by that place and say, “That’s the place where God provided Himself a sacrifice” not knowing that it would the same place that God would provide His Only Son as our sacrifice for our sin. In 1 Cor. 15 3-4 Paul is writing to the Corinthians concerning the importance of the resurrection said, “I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures”. The key phrase is “that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures”. You can search the scriptures in the first testament, and you won’t find a reference to the resurrection happening on the 3^rd day except for this one picture in Isaac. Isaac was reckoned dead the moment God gave the command to take him to Calvary and thus he was made alive “raised” after the third day.

 

 

Hebrews 11:20

“Isaac’s Blessing”

 

• Introduction
• 20a The moving of Isaac
• 20b The birthright

 

Introduction

 Over the next few weeks, we will examine three more patriarchs of faith in Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. The purpose of the illustration is again aimed at answering another reason why some of these Hebrews refused to trust in Jesus as their Messiah. Each of these three only inherited the promises as none of them ever received the promises passed onto them by their fathers. Yet none of these three became discouraged or disillusioned when the promises of God went unrealized. In fact, these three became more determined to believe in God’s promises as they treated the promises of God as an inheritance to the next generation even though they themselves never experienced the promises themselves! Death didn’t detour their faith, nor did it lesson the value of the promises. That is what was happening to some of these Hebrews as they could believe God’s promises through Jesus because they hadn’t materialized during their life. Hebrews 11:20-22 goes back and examines in detail what verses 13-16 only summarized. When you go back and look at the volume of information given to “these patriarchs” in Genesis you see something very interesting: Abraham, Jacob and Joseph each have about 12 chapters dedicated to their life; whereas Isaac only has around 2 ½ chapters that focus on his life. Then looking directly at Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their lives seem to be centered around three distinct activities that each is known for: “Building altars, digging wells and pitching tents”!

• Abraham Builds altars: Four times we are told that he did so. Altars were places of worship, and Abraham’s life seems to have centered on the worship of God. Yet it is recorded that he only dug 1 well and pitched 2 tents, (except for 26:15 where it is obvious that he dug many wells)!
• Isaac Digs wells: Five times we are told that he dug wells and each time he seems to re-dig the ones that his father had dug. Wells of water in scripture seem to always point to God’s provisions for a healthy spiritual life. In John 4:1-4 Jesus told the women, “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst!” Isaac is a man that emulates the spiritual life of faith of his father. Yet we are told that Isaac builds only one altar and only pitches his tent twice.
• Jacob pitched tents: Four times we are told that he pitched his tent. Tents are used to symbolize a person’s abode during their spiritual journey. Jacob is a guy who no matter where he was made his home in the Lord. Yet, as far as the other three activities of his forefathers, he built only one altar and dug no wells.

My point is that we too ought to be “altar builders, well diggers and tent pitchers” in our lives. People who:

• Long to sit at the feet of the Lord to worship Him.
• Come and dig deep in His word to be refreshed by Him.
• And find that wherever He has placed us, we are at home.

Our examination this morning will only be Isaac and even though in Hebrews in only comprises one verse the story involves two points I believe the writer wishes to make:

26. 20a Isaac and the life the reader would have known about him found in Genesis chapter 26.
27. 20b The direct illustration of the blessing by Isaac of Jacob and Esau in Genesis chapter 27.

Vs. 20a The moving of Isaac

Vs. 20a To the original reader Isaac’s name in the list of people who exhibited faith might have been a bit surprising and similar to the mention of Sarah in verse 11. To look at this example, we need to go to Genesis 26 as his life looks a lot like that of his father who had been dead for some time. And unfortunately for Isaac the footsteps of his father Abraham that he chose to emulate were not Abraham’s best foot forward! Yet God was faithful just as He was in Abraham and continued to move Isaac towards the place of blessing. According to Genesis 26:2-3 Isaac, spent far too much time in “boarder land” in between the land of promise and the world until God led him back to a place of His presence. This is the 1^st time in over 50 years that we are told that God appeared to Isaac, the last time we are told so was the time on Calvary where God confirmed the covenant He made with Abraham. The surprising thing is that Isaac ends up going to Gerar located 10 miles from Gaza on the border with Egypt. As such God must warn Isaac not to “go down to Egypt” but rather “stay in the land”. Isaac was to go where God directed and not where the situation dictated! The only way Isaac would know where to dwell was to be nearer the Lord! Gerar was a border town a far cry from “Beer-sheba” or the well of oath where God would move him by verse 23. Isaac first moved towards where he thought the situation dictated before he goes where the Lord directed him. With all the places Isaac could have chosen to live in the land of promise he chose the closest place to where God told him he could not go. It’s no wonder that he repeats the same sin of lying about his wife as did his father. It isn’t until later in his life that we see that the closer he came to the “well of oath” the more blessed he became. And in Genesis 26:12-14 we see the Lord blessing Isaac in-spite of him as he became “very prosperous” but the outcome of such prosperity was that “The Philistines envied him”. And it was this that the Lord used to move him to where He wanted him.  Isaac’s intent was to make each place he moved a place to set down his roots but each time a dispute arises which forces him to move. Isaac did not realize it, but God was leading him home one well at a time. He re-dug the wells his father dug naming them the same thing and in so doing he was unknowingly following the faith steps of his father. It’s also interesting to see that Isaac’s journey towards where the Lord wanted him to cause him to dig new wells and their names reveal that God was leading him away from:

• 20 “contention”
• 21 “opposition”
• 22 towards “roominess”

The first two wells were good but in the wrong land, but when Isaac came into where God wanted him to be the wells fit as it was “roominess”. Upon further looking at this in 26:23-25 we find that this well of “roominess” was the first place Isaac and Abraham went to upon leaving the mountain of sacrifice in chapter 22:19. Isaac finally came to see with his heart where his feet had already been taking him: The land of promise and sweet fellowship with the Lord.There we are told in verse 25 that he does four things he hadn’t ever done before:

• Built an altar
• Called on the name of the Lord
• Pitched his tent
• Dug a well

Before this time in his life, he had always sought to be refreshed before he had worshiped now he knows that refreshment comes when he sat at the altar. No matter what the circumstance the best place for him to make his home was at the altar, that’s always the best place to dig a well.

Vs. 20b The birthright

Vs. 20b That takes us to the direct illustration of Isaac’s blessing. First, we needed go back to Genesis 26:29-34 as this story is set up by the events that are recorded here. The understand of rests upon two things:

1. What was the significance of the birthright?
2. To whom did the birthright normally go?

First, the birthright customarily involved a double portion of the inheritance but also involved the leadership or headship of the family. Thus, the birthright carried with it a twofold blessing “physical blessings” with “spiritual responsibility”. The “birthright” determined who would inherit the covenant promises that God made with Abraham, which involved a future nation, all the land and the lineage of the Messiah. Esau very much wanted the “physical blessing” but without the “spiritual responsibilities”.

Second, normally the “birthright” went to the eldest son accept in case where the father would transfer it to a more deserving son. In this case we have three factors that should have indicated to Isaac that the “birthright” should have been Jacob’s and not Esau’s:

1. God had told them while they were yet unborn which one He had chosen to receive the birthright.
2. They were twins: Age was not a determining factor in this case as age didn’t indicate maturity as they were only minutes apart not years.
3. Jacob was much more spiritually and emotionally mature then was Esau. Esau had no heart for the things of God as Jacob did.

In verses 31-34 all of the above was demonstrated as true revealing that Jacob should have been given the birthright as Esau had no heart for the “spiritual responsibilities” as future head of the family. Jacob was cooking a stew of lentils when Esau came in faint with hunger. His response to Jacob is “let me gulp down some of that red stuff” where he received his nickname “Red”. Esau’s response to Jacob’s offer was to say, “I’m going to die one day anyway so what use is the birthright to me.” Esau saw that the birthright only gained him only temporal advantages and would be lost upon death and didn’t want it, not so with Jacob. In Genesis 26:34-35 we see further evidence of what God knew before the womb of Rebekah that Esau was not to be in the lineage of the Messiah as Hebrews 12:6 calls him “a person just outside the temple”. Esau had no regard for the things of God as seen in his choice of brides, seeing that he left the practice of monogamy and marries not one but TWO Hittite women whose culture was extremely wicked & idolatrous.

            That brings us up to the actually blessing of Jacob in Genesis 27:18-40 which was all preceded by: Isaac and Esau tried to do the wrong thing for the wrong reason and Rebekah and Jacob tried to accomplish the right thing the wrong way. And in the end God produced the right outcome but not for their reasons or employing their methods. I notice that Isaac was deceived even though he tested Jacob using his five senses: Sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. We often think that if we can touch, see, hear, smell or taste something then it must be as it appears. Empirical evidence is great, but it does not always guarantee that we won’t get deceived that is why illusionists are so good at what they do. The problem was not in Isaac’s ability to weigh the evidence rather it was in his heart that wanted it to be so! The worst of Jacob’s lies was verse 20 where he claims that it was God was the One leading him to deceive. Yet still in spite of his doubt Isaac still is lead down the path of deception because of his own hearts wish! In verses 25-27 with the convincing lie Isaac was now ready to bless whom he believes is Esau. The use of the words “My son” in verse 26 in Hebrew means my “favorite” son, which means finally someone told the truth of what was really in their heart. Jacob could now justify all his deception because of what his father just said. Isaac’s blessing of who he thought was Esau is twofold:

1. 29 That who he thought was Esau would be master over Jacob. By saying these words Isaac thinks he can annul God’s will and validate his own. Yet in doing so he unwittingly validates what God wanted all along.
2. In using this blessing, we see that it was the same one bestowed upon Abraham in chapter 12:3 with one exception the words “And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” That is the Messianic element of the blessing, stating that through this person the Messiah will be born. Isaac’s own words betrayed what he knew in his heart, Esau had no heart for the things of God. Interestingly after the veil of deception was lifted Isaac bestows these words upon Jacob, (28:4).

Hebrews 12:16-17 comments upon Esau’s tearful repentance in Genesis 27:34, 38 by saying, “Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.” It sounds as if God did not allow Esau to repent but the word “repentance” means a change of heart and mind, thus what is meant here is that there was no possibility of undoing what had been done God’s mind was made up even though Esau shed tears it was not enough to give him the birthright. The truth was that Esau did not like what he sowed and what he wanted was to change the outcome of his actions.

            This is the story the Holy Spirit chose to use to illustrate the faith of Isaac the “reluctant patriarch” as the only time he acted in faith was when he realized that God’s blessing was going to go to God’s choice regardless of his attempt to change it. Though the story is clouded by Isaac’s action it non-the-less proves the point of the writer and that is how much Isaac valued and regarded the promises of God even though he never possessed them, as he wanted to make sure they went to the person he wanted them too got towards!

Hebrews 11:21

“Jacob journey up the ladder of faith”

 

• Introduction
• 21a If God be with me
• 21b Two for the price of one

 

 Introduction

Though Jacob’s illustration by the writer of Hebrews is only one verse and one example of faith it is safe to assume that the readers would have been fully aware of their ancestor’s history. In many ways Jacob’s life was like his father’s Isaac’s as his spiritual journey had many ups and downs. There is no way this morning we could cover all 12 chapters dedicated to describing those ups and downs, but it will be beneficial to examine two of those points that led up to the context of the passage found in Genesis 48:19-22.

Vs. 21a If God be with me

First place to start our examination of Jacob would be in Gen. 28:16-22. There in verses 16-22 we read that Jacob wakes up at Bethel after fleeing his brother Esau and he knows that the Lord has spoken to him but is unsure what it all means. Though not directly related to our text this morning I can’t help but notice that Jacob’s experience here on what he calls “Bethel” the “House of God” ought to be same for all those who seek its refuge at any church:

1. It ought to be a place where every runaway sinner can collapse upon the Rock of Christ and find rest.
2. It ought to be a place where God’s children can come and be face to face with their “Ladder” Jesus and worship Him for truly He is in every place that has room for Him in their heart!

Of further interest to me and our spiritual journey is that Jacob makes a pillar and takes a vow in Genesis 28:20-22, but he starts this vow with “IF God will be with me..” It will take 20 years of heartaches before Jacob will make it back to this spot and remove all the “IF’S”. But at least as he made this vow Jacob saw the fact that apart from the Lord’s hand, he will not see what God has promised him. Jacob promises to give freely a 10^th of all that the Lord gives him and in so doing Jacob is saying that his heart, home, and treasure are all God’s.

But we have got to realize the difference of God’s promise to that of Jacob’s vow as well:

God’s promise in Genesis 28:13-15:

• I am the LORD God
• I will give to you and your descendants
• I am with you and will keep you wherever you go
• I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you

Jacob’s vow in Genesis 28:20-22:

• If God will be with me
• And keep me in this way that I am going
• And give me bread to eat and clothing to put on
• So that I come back to my father’s house in peace
• Then the LORD shall be my God

The contrast couldn’t be more obvious as God’s vow was unconditional, and Jacob’s was conditional upon God keeping and giving so that he could come back to his father’s house.

Starting in chapter 29 of Genesis and continuing over the next three chapters, 40 years of the life of Jacob is looked at and what we see is a “pilgrims process” as the Lord works on his heart! The tool of choice is a man like Jacob, his uncle Laban. What interests me is the timing of the 29th chapter as it is right after Jacob had a personal encounter with the Lord. That encounter was so powerful that upon his death bed in chapter 48:3 he refers to it saying; “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me”. These next 20 years were the beginning of God taking Jacob to school and his teacher was Laban. In Genesis 29:1-2 with the words “Jacob went on his journey” we realize that Jacob was on a journey where he would find more of the Lord in his life and less of Jacob. Throughout this section of Jacob’s life we see that: Disobedience does not thwart God’s plan for his life but it did greatly effect how much Jacob would enjoy it! Jacob had spent the night upon the rock and where he gained a new direction and hope. He was no longer walking alone he had a constant companion in God, who had just told him that “I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” (28:15) The 450 mile, 15-day journey was with a light step because he had a light heart. In Genesis 29:3-6 we realize that there were no road signs saying “325 miles to Laban’s house” as Jacob must ask if he is in the right place. The well was for by permit and only when all other livestock were present so as none could get the upper hand and over water their herds. And Jacob asks these shepherds, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?”  For the next 20 years Jacob would know him as well. Jacob’s interest in coming to Laban was to find a bride from among his own relatives. And in verses 7-8 even though Jacob is 77 years old, and Rachael is most likely quite a bit younger he spies the one he has been searching for his whole life in Rachael. But as we know the rest of the story it will many years before he can enjoy this bride. Next, we fast forward 20 years to Genesis 32:21-26 and specifically verses 21-23 where Jacob sends the presents over in waves; then at night sends his wives and children over the river Jabbok which means “wrestler”. The river is about 25 miles from where they camped and was only 30 feet wide and waste deep. This left Jacob all-alone with only himself and his fears.

In verse 24-25 we notice the wording as it was a Man that wrestled with Jacob and not the other way around. We are given two clues as to the identity of this Holy Grappler:

1. 30 “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Clearly Jacob believes that the Man who wrestled with him was God.
2. Hosea 12:3-5 “He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and in his strength, he struggled with God. Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; He wept and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, and there He spoke to us; that is, the LORD God of hosts. The LORD is His memorable name.”

Then in Genesis 32:25-26 we see three ways Jacob obtained spiritual victory:

1. 25 Recognize our own inadequacy: It appeared from Jacob’s perspective that he and the Lord were pretty evenly matched but that was in appearance only. Amazingly we wonder how Jacob was able to keep up his strength until daybreak, but when we consider ourselves many of us have been wrestling with the Lord over areas of our lives for years. When the Lord just touched Jacob’s hip he was completely defeated and helpless. Notice that it says that the Lord “did not prevail” not that He “could not prevail”. That means that God wanted to take the “fight” out of Jacob and get him to quit trying to do things in his own strength. Jacob obtained spiritual victory the moment he was at the end of himself when we realized the futility of using his own strength to obtain what can only be his when we trusted God. It’s interesting that it was Jacob’s hip because when the hip is out of place a person cannot stand. Paul would say in 1 Cor 10:12 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
2. 26 Trust only in what God has promised: Jacob only asked for what the Lord had promised to bless him. It was God’s word that Jacob wanted to claim, nothing more.
3. 26 Held onto to God: Jacob had come to the end of himself, he was hopeless and helpless. So, he did what we all must do: Cling to the Lord. He was finally totally dependent upon the Lord and had only taken 90 years to get there. Saints like Jacob it’s essential that we come to the place where we are conquered and broken by the Lord. Jacob now knew practically what he knew intellectually: That God was mightier than he. Hosea 12:4 tells us that Jacob sought God’s blessing as “He wept”! That means that because he was defeated it was when he had lost that he won!

Vs. 21b Two for the price of one

With those two brief texts as a background to Jacob we now come to the scripture of the event mentioned by the author of Hebrews which is found in Genesis 48:1-22. The story started out in that chapter in verses 1 where Joseph is told that his father is sick and that his time on earth is drawing to a close. Finally, the death that Jacob had so frequently spoke had opened its door for him, so Joseph takes his two sons to say farewell to their grandfather. We know that based upon chapter 41:50 that Manasseh and Ephraim were not small boys by this time as they were born before the first year of the famine and Jacob had been in Egypt some 17 years, so these two boys were in their 20’s. In verses 2-7 Jacob gathers his strength and reminisces about his life which was centered around one place and two great events. The first great event involved a place, Bethel:

1. 3 “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me”: Luz is also known as Bethel, and it was here that God appeared to Jacob three times.
2. First in 28:10-17 when he was fleeing his brother Esau after stealing his birthright.
3. The second time was as he was coming back into the land leaving behind his uncle Laban. It was here that he wrestled with the Lord & was given a new name.
4. The third time in 35:9-12 as he was leaving Shechem after his sons had killed the town in retaliation for the rape of Dinah.

Each of these three times God blessed him and promised to make him a great nation and tells him he would again possess the land of Canaan. Jacob recites the threefold blessing of God’s covenant that was made with him, his father, his grandfather with Joseph’s two sons.

• Promise of a personal blessing
• Promise to make a great nation
• Promise them a land in which to call home

Jacob wants these two grandsons to realize, “What God had done for him was in spite of his faithlessness and failure.” It took Jacob his whole life to realize that what matters most in life is not what we have done for God but what He has done by His grace for us! In verses 5-6 Jacob informs Joseph of his intent to adopt his two grandsons and make them his sons. In so doing he elevates them to the status of the first and second born replacing Ruben and Simeon who had disqualified themselves from the birthright. We are told why in 1 Chron 5:1-2 “the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel; he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright; yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ruler, although the birthright was Joseph’s”. So, in giving these two sons of Joseph an individual inheritance Jacob was giving Joseph a double portion, verse 22. The second great event involved a person, Rachel.

1. 7 This great event in Jacob’s life was the death of his beloved Rachel. The mention of this is to reinforce the reason of adopting Joseph’s two sons thinking that has she lived she might have had more children.

Jacob had learned to view the sorrows and disappointments of his life radically different. Before life was just a long series of unfortunate disappointments with no real purpose. He sought peace and prosperity at all costs, and he came to realize that the cost was greater than the reward. Now he sees it from God’s perspective; God was not just interested in the temporal blessings and fleeting pleasures of life; God was interested in making Jacob holy! We are far to concerned with our happiness and not near enough concerned about our holiness. Jacob no longer wanted to sacrifice holiness at the altar of happiness and because of this he found peace and joy!

At the end of Jacob’s life, he embraces his grandchildren through a son whom he believed was dead. In Genesis 48:11 we see why this was such a treasured moment as Jacob remembers his failure to trust God and how the Lord worked in spite of his failure to do more then bring Joseph back into his life, God has allowed him to know his grandchildren. Then in verses 12-16 Jacob is guided by the Lord to put the right hand of favor, upon the younger Ephraim instead of the older Manasseh. As you trace these two tribes throughout their history you will find that this was a prophetically true. Ephraim became the leader above his older brother and later Manasseh marched under Ephraim’s banner throughout the wilderness wondering. It is interesting to note that their names meant: “Manasseh” means “causing to forget” and “Ephraim” means “double fruit”. At the end of the wilderness journey God would raise up another leader that would bring the nation into the land of promise Joshua who was from the tribe of Ephraim. In Isa. 7:8 the prophet refers to Ephraim as he describes the whole northern nation of Israel. In Jer. 31:9 the prophet records the heart of God saying, “I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn.” The blessing of verses 15-16 reveals the testimony of grace, not merit. Jacob realizes that:

1. God is the God of his fathers who has always kept His promises.
2. God was the ONE who has fed him all his life and shepherded him. Adversity was not the enemy but a part of God’s plan to shape him.
3. In verse 16 Jacob looks back to the time when he wrestled with the Lord and says that God has purchased him out of an evil life. The evil that Jacob now saw was not the painful experiences of life but rather living a life that falls short of God’s purposes and plans. Finally, Jacob blesses the two sons and desires in them that his name and the name of their forefathers will live on.

In the final analysis we find that God chose a failure like Jacob to be a patriarch and Joseph who was far more righteous than his father does not even have a tribe named after him. Joseph is not the forerunner to the Messiah instead it is Judah who slept with one of his son’s wives. Joseph won’t be a part of the priestly line, that honor will belong to Levi who slaughtered the men of Shechem. God chooses as He wills and clearly it is the foolish things of the world.

 

  

Hebrews 11:22

“Joseph’s tested faith”

 

• Introduction
• 22a Testing of faith
• 22b Take my bones with you

 

Introduction

We come now to the last of the patriarchs of faith, Joseph. He, like his father and grandfather, died never receiving the promises but his story is even greater as he spent his entire adult life in Egypt outside the land of promise. Joseph couldn’t even claim that he sojourned in the land of promise, let alone inherited it. From the time that God first told Abraham in Genesis 12:7 that he would make his seed a mighty nation and that they would inherit the land of Canaan as their home two hundred years had gone by without any sign of fulfillment. Furthermore, by the time of Joseph’s death do to the famine in the land of Canaan not one Hebrew remained in the land of promise and would not for over 400 years. Yet with those facts Joseph’s dying words for his fellow Hebrews was that WHEN God brought them out of Egypt that they were to take his bones with them. His thought evidently was; if in his earthly existence he couldn’t inherit the land then in his death at least the land could inherit his bones! What a great example to these Hebrews who were using the fact that Israel still was under Roman occupation as the reason to reject the clear teaching and evidence that Jesus was the Son of God and long a waited Messiah. Jesus had addressed this in John 10:36-38 when the religious leaders accused Him of blasphemy saying, “do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” All three of these patriarchs believed God’s Word in the face of death, their testimony was that throughout their life nothing they had experienced ever changed their view of the truth that God had told them.

Vs. 22a Testing of faith

Like the other patriarchs of faith, we have studied, I believe that these Hebrew readers would have read into this passage their extensive knowledge of their ancestor. It is here that Joseph is a radical departure from his father and grandfather, as he is one of the few subjects that we cannot find a negative statement or example in the pages of their life. Instead, what stands out in Joseph is his continual response to adversity and the testing of his faith. We shall examine two of those before we get to the text that the writer of Hebrews refers too here in Genesis 50:24 and Exodus 13:19. To gain the understanding that the original readers would have possessed regarding Joseph we will need to only deal with Genesis 39 as this chapter provides great resources for two of the greatest struggles any person can ever deal with in life:

• Suffering
• Temptation

What we learn about Joseph and the two greatest paralyzing trials that test our faith that is quickly discovered when we realize that four times in this chapter, we read that despite the situation and adversity we read that: “The LORD was with Joseph”. They key to Joseph’s character remaining true to the Lord was a direct result of the Lord being with him! Because of this truth even though the circumstances changed Joseph’s walk did not. The same qualities that cause Joseph to advance into a successful position in Potiphar’s house in the first six verses were he same ones that land him in jail in the final seven verses. What Joseph’s life teaches us is that obedience to the Lord does not always bring about prosperity, popularity, or prestige. Many people wonder WHY trials that come our way. Moses answers this question in Deut. 8:2-3 when he says, “God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.”

In Genesis 37:36 we were told that “the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.” The 39^th chapter of Genesis is the story of what transpired in the house of Potiphar and Joseph tells us two things about this man Potiphar:

1. He was a “officer” of Pharaoh: The word here can be translated “eunuch” as it was common to make a leader a eunuch in order to insure their devotion.
2. He was the captain of the guard: He was the head of the secret police if you will.

In verse 2 we read the first of the “Lord was with Joseph” phrases and the context deals with Joseph success under Potiphar. What is not immediately apparent in this passage is the length of time that it took for this success and the subsequent temptation to transpire. According to Genesis 37:2 Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold into slavery. Then according to Genesis 41:46 Joseph was 30 when Pharaoh promoted him. When we add in Genesis 41:1 where we are told that Joseph served two years in prison, we conclude that Joseph served Potiphar for 11 years. Saint’s it took 11 years for this process of success through God’s blessings to take place. We often think that if God is behind something it will transpire in 11 days or 11 months but not 11 years. Furthermore, the reality of Joseph’s temptation takes on a whole new perspective as this temptation lasted for many years not a just few days. The secret of Joseph’s success in saying no to temptation was the same as his secret to success: “The Lord was with Joseph!” Joseph discovered the truth that Jehovah means, “the God that makes and keeps His promises”. Examining Genesis 39:3-9 reveals six things that enabled Joseph to exercise his faith the way he did:

1. 3 The Lord in his life “The Lord was with him”: As already noted in the text the Lord was in his life, it was what powered him and moved him.
2. 4 Diligent in small things “Joseph found favor and served him”: Joseph was diligent in the small things. During those 11 years Joseph who was from a different culture and language learned to speak and think like an Egyptian. He didn’t wait for the Lord to bless him instead he was faithful to do what he needed to be used of the Lord.
3. 5a Everything he did was unto the Lord “The Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake”: Whatever Joseph did he did as unto the Lord. Joseph did not work for Potiphar he worked for the Lord; he was diligent in serving with excellence because it was all about the Lord.
4. 5b Desired to be a blessing above being blessed “The blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field”: Joseph worked not for advancement, promotion or notoriety but for the benefit and blessing of others. The quickest way to be raised up in the Lord is not to care about being raised up.
5. 6a Operated in the gifts and callings of God “Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand”: Though the Lord was with Joseph; God worked through the natural talents and gifts that He had given Joseph. All Joseph did was operate under the Lords guidance and power while serving in those gifts.
6. 9 Gave all glory to the Lord not his abilities “There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Joseph recognized that all of the success he had was because of the Lord and not his own abilities.

Joseph’s resume was this, “Hire me and as I work in the gifts and abilities God has given me by his power your company will be prosperous!” Because of this we are told in verse 3 that Potiphar saw that the Lord was with him. Joseph witness to Potiphar by being the best worker he had.

Now in Genesis 39:7 we move the second of the great trials we face in life temptation. Although this temptation specifically deals with sexual temptation the principals of dealing with temptation apply no matter what it is that is a temptation to us. This verse gives a three-fold description of Potiphar’s wife:

1. “His master’s wife”: We are never given her name, just that she is his masters wife. This suggests that she was not a woman of character.
2. “After these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph”: This verse suggests that she was not only attracted to Joseph’s appearance but upon Joseph’s power and success.
3. “And she said, “Lie with me”: Here we see that her seduction started subtle with long flirtatious looks. Then came attempts to get him to talk to her, which escalated according to verse 10 to her attempting to do this day by day. Verse ten also suggests that Joseph began avoiding her until finally she just became blunt. The fact that he did not respond to her made him even more attractive and a challenge.

Remember that this was not a one-time event but rather a daily occurrence that lasted years. Genesis 39: 8-12 reveals five things that Joseph faith did in dealing with the temptation:

1. 8a Refused: He simply ignored her advances by way of silence he did not acknowledge her subtle and not so subtle attempts to seduce him.
2. 8b-9 Reasoned: Realizing she was not getting the hint Joseph tried to reason with her by stating three truths:
3. Ethical: “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you.” Joseph explains that his position was not only one of power but one of privilege and trust. Thus, to sleep with her would be an ethical violation of his master’s trust.
4. Moral: “you are his wife.” Second, he reminds her that she is married to Potiphar and such a relationship between them would be immoral, as it would be adultery.
5. Spiritual: “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Lastly, and most importantly he tells her that it would be a sin against God and such a thing would hurt his relationship with the Lord.
6. 10a Resisted: Even after he ignored her and reasoned with her, she still spoke to him every day and asked him to sleep with her yet we are told he did not “heed her”. Joseph gave off no mixed signals there was no way that she could conclude that he was softening to her advances.
7. 10b-11 Refrained: He did not even want to be near her as he sought not to be where she was. He always tried to make sure that someone else was present when she was around.
8. 12 Ran: Finally, when she grabbed a hold of him, he ran.

It is an issue of the heart and Joseph had settled that a long time before so that temptation and sin could not get a foot hold.

Genesis 39:13-20 reveals that perhaps the most difficult aspect of the temptation was Joseph dealing with his own heart because even though he did everything right the circumstances went from bad to worse. Joseph left in his underwear but with all of his dignity and relationship with the Lord intact. But stand against temptation could have cost him his life he reasoned it was worth the price. The lie she told her husband was exact opposite of what had happened. Yet there is no mention of him saying anything in his defense. Potiphar could have executed him by way of torture but he did not, which suggests that he did not fully believe his own wife as Joseph’s character spoke louder then her words. Finally, we see that even in jail Joseph was made the captain of the guard. The trails and testing of Joseph’s only moved him from the top floor to the bottom floor but it never impacted the way in which he served. Joseph didn’t just trust God in the good times but also in the difficult times. As we are told that, “the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.” Joseph’s obedience wasn’t tied to his success it was tied only to the Lord. And with that truth we learn that: When we seek to walk with the Lord we will be prosperous no matter what our situation or circumstance.

Vs. 22b Take my bones with you

The reference for Hebrews 11:22 is Genesis 50:22-26 where learn first that 54 years passed between verses 21-22 even though Moses placed these two deaths side by side. Moses tells us that Joseph’s life was full at 110. He lived long enough to see his great, great grandchildren and played with them on his knees. I can think of nothing in this life more fulfilling then to enjoy the simple blessings of spending time with those you love. Joseph was not preoccupied with death he loved life and made the best out of every opportunity but in the end was looking forward to going home. According to Genesis 50:24-26 Joseph left specific instructions concerning his death and burial. He did not want his body to remain in Egypt and like Jacob wanted his bones carried back to the land of promise when the nation left. For 350 more years after this death Joseph’s coffin spoke to the Israelites the value and truth of the promises of God to the nation. Joseph’s death was as much of an example as his life had been a testimony of faith and trust in the God who holds the future in His hand. Death was not Joseph’s end it was but his beginning to be with the One who loved him and those that love Him. And when it came time to leave in Exodus 13:19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with the nation as they departed Egypt. Joseph was a man of faith who made them promise 350 years earlier to take his bones with them when they left. The author of Hebrews uses Joseph’s bones as an example of trusting God to fulfill His word despite the adversities and trials.

 

  

Hebrews 11:23

“Moses birth by faith”

 

• Introduction
• 23a Unfavorable circumstance
• 23b Saving faith

 

Introduction

We now move in Hebrews 11:23-40 to examples in Jewish history of post-patriarchal faith and here in verses 23-29 we will examine Moses with the emphasis upon his decisions of faith.  Since time began life has been about choices: Adam was offered a choice and made the wrong one and all of his ancestors have been living under the consequences of that decision since. In Joshua 24:15 Joshua challenged the people saying, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve….but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Elijah asked the Israelites on Mount Carmel, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” The Greeks had a statue to the god they called Caerus or Opportunity. The the statue was represented as a young and beautiful god because Opportunity never gets old, and like beauty, flourishes for a season. It had hair hanging over its face but was bald in the back to illustrate that opportunity could only be taken when a person is arriving but once opportunity has passed, no one can grasp it and it cannot be recovered. The statue of Opportunity stood on its tiptoe because it was always running, and like Hermes, had wings in its feet to fly with the wind. It held a razor and was balanced on a sharp edge to illustrate the fleeting instant in which opportunities appear and disappear. Life is far more about making right decisions than it is falling into favorable circumstances! This truth was particularly truthful to those Jews who were rejecting the words and works of Christ because the circumstances didn’t fit their view of Jesus 1^st coming. To use “favorable circumstances” to make decision about following Jesus was a wrong direction. To show this the writer of Hebrews is going to make this case while examining five illustrations throughout the life of Moses. What if Moses the “law giver” (who they were choosing above Jesus) would have used “favorable circumstances” as the basis of making his choices? All of these points and more will be seen through the five illustrations of Moses life. The point of this section by the author of Hebrews is to reaffirm that decisions or the lack of them have irrevocable consequences and the some of the Jew’s decision to reject the finished work of Christ and go back to the Levitical sacrifices would as will. Through these seven verses of Moses life choices you will see that they were made both in the positive and negative, what Moses chose to do and not do by faith:

1. 23 Faith chooses to accept God’s plans
2. 24-26 Faith chooses to reject the world’s position, pleasure and prosperity
3. 27 Faith rejects the worlds pressure to conform
4. 28 Faith accepts God’s provision
5. 29 Faith trusts God’s promises

The life of Moses reflects the choices of making the right decisions; positive and negative decisions he accepted and rejected. The first illustration of Moses life centers around his birth and is more about his parent’s decision then it is his. The story is recorded for us in Exodus chapter 1 verse 8 through chapter 2 verse 3.

Vs. 23a Unfavorable circumstance

Vs. 23a “By faith Moses, when he was born…”: The first thing that we notice in Exodus 1:8 is the situation under which Moses was born as we read, “Now there arose a new king over Egypt..” When Stephen told this story in Acts 7, he says that the people grew and multiplied in Egypt “till ANOTHER king arose who did not know Joseph.” The word “another” in the Greek means of a different kind. The Pharaoh that was in power during Joseph’s time was Egyptian, but according to Isa. 52: 4 the Pharaoh of this time was Assyrian and was a different nationality and he ran out the Hykos who ruled during Joseph’s time. It appears according to Exodus 1:9-10, that God’s blessing upon the Israelites became obvious as the fear and jealousy of the people and Pharaoh was seen in their concern that the enemies of Egypt would exploit the blessing of Israel and join forces with the Israelite slaves. Sometimes you can tell God is blessing us in the direct proportion to how much warfare we are experiencing! Instead of thinking during trials, “I don’t know what I’ve done wrong that God is punishing?”; perhaps it is not that we have done something wrong and instead God is preparing us for some greater blessing!

             The second thing we note in Exodus 1:11-12 is that the first phase of Pharaoh’s plan was oppression as he sat taskmasters over them. They put the Israelite men into work crews forcing them into slave labor into two supply cites where they were forced to make bricks from the straw supplied by the Egyptians. As a side note “The pyramids were not built by the Israelites as they had already been in existence by this time but these two cites were”. The problem for Pharaoh was that the more he afflicted the Israelites the more their numbers grew. Because of this according to Exodus 1:13-14 when they saw this, they removed the straw from the process. The idea of Pharaoh was to get the Israelites preoccupied with the things of the world. And in so doing the children of God would stop trusting in the blessings of God and focus more upon the things that enslave them. Saint’s that’s still true today, the more people have the more they spend so that they are still living pay check to pay check. That’s what Pharaoh did, he just got them preoccupied with the things of Egypt.

In Exodus 1:15 we are told of the second phase of the enemy’s plan, “killing all the male Jewish boys.” This is not new; satan tried it through Cain when he killed his brother, Herod would try it in Jesus’ time killing all the male children two years old and under. There has always been enmity between Gods seed and satan’s seed. To counter this God rose up two midwives who were over all the other midwives whose names mean “beauty and splendor”. In Exodus 1:16-17 we are told the reason why these two midwifes didn’t head Pharaohs orders as “The fear of the Lord”. The question people want to know is: Was it all right that they lied to Pharaoh? There are two things we need to realize:

1.) We don’t know that they lied to Pharaoh: Verse 19 tells us that they told him that the Hebrew women delivered faster than did the Egyptian women, so the children were already born prior to their arrival. It could be that this was God’s work or that they just decided not to arrive in any hurry; thus, what they said was true.

2.) Second there is a higher law to obey, God’s: What God rewards here is not the way in which they acted but rather the reason why they acted, (verse 21). It was that they feared God that the Lord looked upon. Which was a twofold blessing in verses 21-22:

1.) Vs. 20 The nation was blessed by the obedience of these two ladies. Mothers must never think that their role is unimportant, because of your obedience our nation will have a future.

2.) Vs. 21 These two midwifes we believe were barren, yet because they feared God they also were blessed with children. Pharaoh was putting to death male children and the Lord places these gals right with the rest of the mother in Egypt. God often brings us through things that test our hearts.

The third and final part of Pharaoh’s plan is in Exodus 1:22 and it involved getting the rest of Egyptians into his plan. These three parts of Pharaoh’s plan only led up to God bring forth a redeemer in Moses.

Vs. 23b Saving faith

That is where Exodus 2:1 starts. Remember that Moses is the one who wrote his own story, and he does so without any fanfare. He doesn’t even tell us the names of his parents until the sixth chapter. Where in verses 18-20 we are informed that his father’s name was Amram, “High people” and his mother’s name Jochebed or “Jehovah glorified”. In Exodus 2:2 The scene is now set for the birth of Moses, the deliver. We are NOT told here that Moses’ parents already had two children, the sister of verse four, Miriam whom we are not even told her name until chapter 15, was most likely 12 years older. And also, Aaron who we are not told his name until the 4th chapter, who was three years older (Ex. 7:7) and was born before the decree of Pharaoh. Here verse 2 the Bible declare the fact that Moses’ mother declared him as beautiful. Clearly, she saw some wonderful qualities in Moses at his birth that caused her to notice. When we look up all the verses about Moses birth, we are told that:

            Ex. 2:2 “She saw he was beautiful”

            Acts 7:20 “well pleasing to God;”

            Heb. 11:23 “because they saw he was a beautiful child;”

Do these descriptions mean as some suggest that Moses was: A “beautiful baby” and that it was the outward qualities that spurred the faith of his parents to hide him some three months? Or does it mean that some how they were told by God that Moses was to be an instrument of God therefore he was worthy of saving? The key to understanding this lies in the original language and how that word is used elsewhere. Literally the verse reads that “she saw that he was good”. The word is used frequently in the Old Testament specifically in the writings of Moses where it carries the idea of goodness as the result of being made or declared good by God. It is the same word that is used in the creation account where God declared what He had created “good”.

Stephen’s words in the Acts 7:20 passage points to this fact where we are told again that Moses was, “well pleasing to God.” It was not that Moses parents recognized some inward or outward significances in Moses, instead by FAITH they recognized that Moses was God’s child and this prompted them to act in faith.

            God does not value us based upon outward or inward qualities He does so because of Who He is and the fact that He created us. We are special to Him because we are His creation. Moses’ parents acted in faith because they saw him as God saw him.

In Exodus 2:3 the faith spoken here and elsewhere is that of the hiding of Moses for three months and not the of placing him in the basket in the Nile. Again, go to Heb. 11: 23 says, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command.” The high point of faith that the author of Hebrews points to is not the placing of Moses into the water but rather the hiding of him for three months. The passage on faith in Heb. 11:23 does not even mention the placing of Moses into the basket and on to the river. Acts 7:18-21 is the same where we read, “he was brought up in his father’s house for three months.” In fact, when Stephen tells this story he uses a word to describe the act of the parents as “putting Moses out to die” What this suggests is that the remarkable story of Pharaoh’s daughter saving Moses has much more to do with God’s faithfulness and goodness then it does the faith of Moses parents. God is the One who is faithful, He is the savior of His people, all the more we ought to look to Him and not the faith of others!

            Moses was placed where other baby boys were placed right by the riverbank. Moses’ mother fulfilled the intent of Pharaoh’s law but not the letter of it. The word “basket” is the same word used for Noah’s craft, “Ark”. From his parent’s perspective hope as well as desperation was what led them to place their three-month old son in a basket. They made sure that it would float, and that Miriam Moses sister watched not his mother. She could not bear the thought of watching her child float downstream, but neither could she stand the thought of not knowing what had become of her son.

In Exodus 2:4-10 the story takes an interesting twist as Moses floats along in his ark and his sister looks on. Ask yourself the question in light of the story who would be the worst person to find baby Moses? It would have to be the family of Pharaoh who made the decree to begin with, that would have meant instant death. Yet we are told that it was Pharaoh’s daughter who went down to wash that the ark came floating towards. Can you imagine Miriam’s horror? “Oh God no not this woman! Please God not this woman!” Yet we are told in verse 6 that at Moses weeping Pharaoh’s daughter’s heart melted. Yet she clearly knew that this was a Hebrew child. I marvel at God, who takes the worst of possible situations and turns them into a glorious blessing. We are so tempted to rule God out based upon the situation rather than trusting in His ability. We read of Paul’s words in Eph. 6:20 “to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us”. How does this story of Moses’ parent’s faith in this decision speak to the Hebrews that the author is writing too? Well, it tells them they are to decide not upon the present circumstances but only upon God’s word!

 

Hebrews 11:24-26

“The Penny Principal”

 

• Introduction
• 24 Child of the King
• 25 The truth about Egypt’s treasures
• 26 The riches of the reproaches of Christ

 

Introduction

The second example the writer issues is a curious one seeing that there is NO First Testament text that the writer refers too, nothing in all the writings of Moses. Instead, there must have only been oral tradition as the Jewish Roman historian Josephus mentions a story of Moses throwing down the crown and standing on it. More importantly the writer of Hebrews refers too Moses rejecting his position in the Egyptian court as well as Stephen in Acts 7:20-28. The decision the writer of Hebrews places before his readers isn’t introduced until verse 26 where he describes the choice as between:

• The reproaches of Christ
• The treasures of Egypt

There are several mitigating factors that would have made this decision difficult the first of which is best understood in what based upon these three verses Moses rejected. We are told specifically that they were the three things the world prizes above everything in verses 24-26:

Vs. 24 POSITION

Vs. 25 PLEASURE

Vs. 26 PROSPERITY

Furthermore, we are told the sole reason that Moses was able to make this decision as, he looked to the reward”.

24 Child of the King

Vs. 24 In Acts chapter 7:20-28 Stephen speaks of Moses life in three 40-year periods.

• Acts 7:20-28 From birth to 40: Here we see Moses as deliver, but Stephen is careful to show Moses’ failures as he spent the first 40 years becoming something. As a baby hidden for 3 months, then brought up in Pharaoh’s house, educated in the ways of the Egyptians; mighty in words and deeds. Moses felt a call on his life at 40 and wanted to identify and help his own people. You remember the story, as he sees the suffering of his people at the hands of the Egyptians, he tries to do the work of God in the energy of the flesh and all that happens is that someone dies. The next day he thinks that he accomplished something for God as he sees two Jews fighting and instead of being a deliver he tries to be a reconciler bring the two combatants together. They didn’t receive Moses’ and question him as to whom made him boss. It is evident that there’s a big difference between Moses at this time and Jesus. Moses was willing to kill someone to accomplish his call while Jesus was willing to die to accomplish His call. To the readers of Hebrews, the parallel is obvious the Hebrews rejected Moses to be ruler and judge over them though now they esteemed him. And now they were denying Jesus as ruler and judge over them as well.
• Acts 7:29-36 From 40 to 80. The next 40 years Moses spends in gentile lands thinking he was nothing. Moses got married had two boys and changes careers from prince to shepherd. Stephen says at the end of the 2^nd 40-year period God comes to him, and says to Moses, “I have seen, I have heard, I have come” (verse 34). Moses had 40 years earlier “seen, heard and killed”! It took 40 years to work on the heart of Moses so that he would GO in the strength of the Lord not in his own strength. Stephen was showing a pattern in the human heart in the history of their forefather’s Spiritual pride and ignorance which caused them to reject God’s deliverance this was also the same argument that the writer of Hebrews was making. Stephen now further shows how their forefathers rejected those that God had sent by showing that they rejected Moses in the third 40-year period as LAWGIVER.
• Acts 7:37-43 From 80 to 120. The last 40 years of Moses life was God showing Moses that He can only do something through nothings. In Acts chapter 6:11-13 the religious leader including Saul of Tarsus had accused Stephen of speaking blaspheme against Moses and the Law. They made this claim because Stephen had spoken so much about Jesus. So, Stephen answers their pride because of the law by using three points:

1. 37-38 By quoting Deut. 18:15. “Hey, Moses himself spoke of God raising up another prophet like him.” So, they could not claim that God’s truth and plan was limited to Moses alone as the Sadducees believed. The same guy they so honored as the one who brought forth the “living oracles” is the same one who said that God was going to bring another like him.
2. 39-40 Second point Stephen uses is that their forefathers had rejected Moses even after God had showed them that Moses was the anointed deliver. It wasn’t Stephen who was disobeying the law and rejecting Moses; they were doing just what their father’s had done before them.
3. 41-43 Stephen pointed out that even after the 2^nd time Moses went up the hill to receive the Law and the sacrificial system the people still fell into pride and the worship of idols. Stephen quotes Amos to support this fact of their history. They accused Stephen of blaspheme, yet they were the ones that were blaspheme. It is not having a Bible that makes you right before God it is obedience to it!

Moses renounced the status he enjoyed in Egypt as a member of the royal household. He couldn’t identify as both, he had to choose one or the other. Moses gave up the three things the world prizes the most:

• 24 Position
• 25 Pleasure
• 26 Prosperity

To make the choice even more difficult Moses wasn’t just rejecting the benefits of Egyptian royalty he was accepting Jewish slavery and contempt which entailed substantial persecution beyond material disadvantages. According to chronological data given us by the First Testament:

• The Exodus from Egypt occurred 480 years before the 4^th year of Solomon’s reign (1 Kings 6:1) and Solomon’s 4^th year was 966 BC. This means that the Exodus occurred in 1446-1445 BC.
• Moses was 80 years old at that time of the Exodus (Exodus 7:7) which means that he was born around 1525 BC.
• We know that the Pharaoh at the time of Moses birth was Thutmose I whose daughter was Hatshepsut who married her ½ brother Thutmose II who died after a short reign. She then took over the reign and rule of Egypt for 20 years until Thutmose III was able to unseat her. It is believed by some that this Hatshepsut was the daughter that took Moses out of the water and raised him.

Though only speculation if correct Moses was indeed in line to be Pharaoh or possibly very high up in the Egyptian court. Moses’ identification is unmistakable proof that he saw himself as a Hebrew not an Egyptian. To anyone evaluating this choice it defies all logic when we employ worldly standards, and some could point to Moses’ forerunner in Joseph as a biblical example of the benefits of NOT rejecting such worldly opportunities. The argument is for those Hebrews who didn’t want to choose between the Levitical sacrifices and what they pointed too, Jesus.

Vs. 25 The truth about Egypt’s treasures

Vs. 25 It is only when we insert the phrase “By Faith” in this verse that we understand the basis of Moses choice of refusing the material benefits of Egyptian life advantages for the ill-treatment of the Hebrews. Moses could have argued with himself from the position of Joseph that he could do far more for his people from a position of the advantages of the Egyptians then from the disadvantages of the Hebrews but faith according to verse 26 didn’t see the disadvantages of the Hebrew condition but their rewards against the temporary fleeting condition of the Egyptians. The writer of Hebrews offers his reader three specific truths with regards with sin:

• That sin is pleasurable
• That sins pleasure is ultimately unsatisfactory
• That sins pleasure is only temporary

By faith Moses viewed the Hebrews as not just slaves of Pharaoh the people of God an heirs of the promises. He wasn’t just choosing a national identification but rather a spiritual affiliation as they were the “People of God” and not the “people of Israel”! He was fully aware of the cost of his choice but as far as he was concerned by faith choosing the Hebrews over the Egyptians was a wise investment! The treasures of Egypt were no doubt considerable; the wealth of the 18^th dynasty is well known even today but Moses deliberately choose that forever place the treasures of Egypt beyond his reach all because he valued the reproach of Christ of greater value. Moses appears to have a messianic understanding as noted in Deut. 18:15 as such his act of renunciation was prompted by his looking away to his reward.  The irony was that Jesus was being rejected in part because He didn’t act as a royal king establishing His kingdom on earth immediately and instead choose, like Moses whom they revered, to identify with the suffering Hebrews! Baron Justinian Von Welz was the son of Austrian royalty who at 40 years of age upon his conversion to Christianity was called to serve as a missionary to Guiana and lay aside his earthly royalty. When questioned about this he responded: What does it matter to be know as “well born” when I am “born again”? What does it matter to have the earthly title of “Lord” when I am the servant of THE LORD? And what does it matter to be called “your grace” when I am in constant need of God’s grace?

Vs. 26 The riches of the reproaches of Christ

Vs. 26 Moses by faith weighed the temporal benefits of the Egyptians as being of far less value than even the reproach of the world laid upon the people of the promises of God. Saints this ought to enable us to consider how great are the blessing and promises are that the greatest advantages the world has to offer are to be shunned in order to inherit what God has promised us! This is yet another warning by way of illustration for those Hebrews who were considering abandoning Jesus to cling to religion! God is not interested in:

• Where we come from
• How much we have
• What honors we gather

Jesus in Matthew 11:11 spoke of the greatest man that had ever lived, John the Baptist and the reason that he was considered the greatest was because of three things that made up his life:

• He always obeyed the Lord
• He was filled with the Holy Spirit
• He pointed everyone to Jesus his Master

The choice was between what many would consider two opposite values:

• “The reproach of Christ”
• “The treasures of Egypt”

And such an evaluation is true but the opposite of most would think! The temporary treasures of Egypt are no match for the incredible riches of the reproach of Christ! Had Moses chosen the temporary treasures of Egypt we may have well unearthed his mummified body and been viewing his corpse in a museum today. Instead, because he valued the incredible riches of the reproach of Christ though he died on a mountain in Moab he was with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Because of this as Vance Havner said, “Moses chose the imperishable, saw the invisible and accomplished the impossible.” Which if you were given the opportunity would you choose? A million dollars or 1 penny doubled each day for 31 days? It’s clear from one national survey that most folks would choose the million as people recover yearly 62 million dollars of pennies from landfills each year. But if you stopped to do the math it may surprise you which is of greater value. In ten days, your doubled penny would still only be worth $5.21 but when you continued to double that each day for 31 days you would have 10,237,418.24

 

 

Hebrews 11:27

“Under Construction”

 

• Introduction
• 27a Not fearing
• 27b Seeing the invisible

 

Introduction

 We are back to the third illustration of Moses by the writer and this one unlike the last illustration has a first testament passage as well as Stephen’s preaching to fill end the gaps. According to Steven’s words in Acts 7: 22 “Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds.” The intellectual development of Moses was clearly influenced by the time he spent in the courts of Egypt, as he was trained and raised in their culture. According to verse 19 Jethro’s daughters mistook him for an Egyptian which means that he looked like an Egyptian, talked like an Egyptian and acted like an Egyptian. When Moses went anywhere being the son of Pharaoh’s daughter he would hear the words of his personal body guards as he stepped out of princely chariot, “bow the knee” and everybody would have to bow the knee. Yet, according to the author of Hebrews Moses, “when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” There is no doubt that Moses’ parents had told him of his heritage and the promises of God towards the Israelites. What’s remarkable is that at some point in time Moses was going to be recognized as the next Pharaoh of Egypt, to which we are told here in Hebrews that he refused. Moses turned down the best that Egypt had to offer, for all the worst it had to give! Suffering was not put upon him, he made a conscious choice to leave the lap of luxury for a life of hardship. Moses placed the right value on the right things. There was a point in Moses spiritual development that he backed up his belief by how he chose to live his life, “reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.” In Acts 7:23 we read Steven’s account of this as he said, “Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel.”

There ought to be in every believer’s life a time:

• When just saying you are a Christian is not enough
• When just going to church once or twice a week isn’t doing it for you

Vs. 27a Not fearing

According to Exodus 2:12 with all the training of the Egyptians behind him and a passion for what God wanted; Moses did what a lot of immature Christians try to do, conquer Egypt with the principals of Egypt. It says that Moses “looks this way and that way, and saw no one”. Moses acted with premeditation and passion, trying to fulfill the call on his life by the energy of his own flesh. He had man’s wisdom and man’s power but all it produced was death and a grave. The question we astute bible students need to ask is; “If Moses had done what the Lord wanted why did he attempt to hide it?” This suggests to us that Moses knew that this was not of the Lord.

            Steven in Acts 7:24 again gives us insight into Moses thinking in killing the Egyptian, “For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand.” That’s an interesting commentary when we consider Egyptian’s persecuting Hebrews and an Egyptian prince who is Hebrew yet looks and acts like an Egyptian kills an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. “Yeh, that does it for me and the rest of the three million sheepherders turned brick layers are ready to follow you!”

In Exodus 2:13 Moses the next day sees two Hebrews fighting one of them oppressing the other and stops the fight. The Hebrew word in verse 11 rendered “beating” and the one rendered “striking” in verse 13 is the same word. The difference is NOT in the action, but the people involved in the action as they are both Hebrews and Moses can’t understand why the one would does this to each other. Steven offers this commentary as to the motive behind Moses actions in Acts 7:25 saying, “that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand.” God would deliver them, but it would be His hand working through an X-Egyptian prince turned shepherd. The point being made is that Moses had to learn how to follow before he could learn how to lead!

In Exodus 2:14 we see the response of the two combatants to Moses’ attempt, “Who made you prince and judge over us.” Oh, the irony of their statement; Moses was the prince and judge over all of Egypt, yet the example he had shown them in the of killing an Egyptian was trying to lead the people by the ways of the Egyptians but they could only by led by the ways of a shepherd.

            All the training to lead Egyptians did nothing to lead Hebrews. Moses looked this way and that way, but he did not look up towards God. Had he done so he would have found that God was going to deliver His people, His way in His time. It is great to have sincere motives but if those motives are God given ones, they must be tempered by total dependence upon Him.

            What’s interesting to see is that the Exodus 2:14 statement saying, “Moses FEARED and said, surely this thing is known” which seems in a direct contradiction to the writer of Hebrews statement with regards to Moses where we are told that “By faith he forsook Egypt, NOT FEARING the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.” Stephen doesn’t clarify this as his only comment is that “at this saying (by the two Israelites that he was a murder), Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons.” The seeming contradiction is cleared up when we realize the context of the writer of Hebrews point is: NOT Pharaohs anger at the CAUSE of Moses actions (the murder of the Egyptian) but instead the lack of fear at the CONSEQUENCES of Moses actions which was forsaking Egypt. Moses’ departure from Egypt showed that he had renounced his former life as a prince of Egypt and had embraced his life as an Israelite. The two fears are different:

1. “He feared and therefore fled”: The fear mentioned in Exodus is the fear that arises from the discovery of the slaying of the Egyptian.
2. “He feared NOT therefore he fled”: The lack of fear in Hebrews is of Pharaohs anger on discovering that Moses had left Egypt.

Vs. 27b Seeing the invisible

As far as the illustration in Hebrews there remains only one last statement, “for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible”. We need to resist our knowledge of this story when we interpret this statement as it is not a reference of Moses encounter with God at the burning bush as that wouldn’t happen for another 40 years, recorded in Exodus 3. Instead, this statement deals with Moses endurance for 40 years in Midian because he had already saw BY FAITH He who was invisible and was rewarded for this 40 years later in Exodus chapter 3 at the burning bush. Exodus 3:15 fills in the blanks of the brief statement by the writer of Hebrews and in we learn a more about Moses in his defeat and failure then we can in his victory. First immediately after Moses’ failure we see two things immediate consequences to Moses failure, one was positive the other was negative:

1. 14b Moses feared: The first thing that Moses lost was his self-confidant as he is now afraid. In the case of Moses this wasn’t a bad thing for his confidence was in himself instead of the Lord. But this can happen for the believer as well when we get out of the plan of God all our confidence in God goes.
2. ) vs. 15 Moses flees: Notice that the second casualty in Moses was all the passion for his people left when he failed. Because Moses confidence was in himself when he failed, he quit and ran! I see this a lot with Christians, when people with a passion go for it with all the fleshly energy, they can muster only to not achieve what they wanted, the first thing that leaves them is the passion to continue. Moses’ failure was because he attempted to Gods work in his power and he has lost his taste for Gods call but the good news was God was not done with him.

In Exodus 15 we are told that Moses fled to Midian. We are tempted to brush this destination as unimportant, but I believe that the destination was hand selected for Moses because God knew the right place to send him to prepare him for the next work:

1. It was the land of Abraham’s younger sons through Keturah his wife after Sarah died. They settled on the southeastern Sinai in what today we would call west central Arabia.
2. The people of that land the Midianites, were monotheistic and believed in the same God as the Hebrew people did. In fact, his father in laws name (Ruel) means friend of God.
3. The land of the Canaanites had an extradite treaty with Egypt, so that Moses knew that if he had fled there he would of been brought back to justice.

Moses must have felt like big failure, he had abandoned his people, his call, his way of life. The name Midian means “strife” and I think that the strife was that warring in Moses’ members. Moses was in the desert, and it was all a part of Gods plan to strip Egypt from Moses; it was easier to Get Moses out of Egypt than the 40 years to get Egypt out of Moses. Though we may not like the strife in the desert it is here that victory is always won! If you find you are in Midian (STRIFE) right now, stop trying to leave and start learning the lessons of it for you won’t be leaving it until you do.

• Moses came to Midian a prince, but he would leave as a shepherd 40 years later.
• Moses came to it a son of the queen he would leave it a son of a slave.
• Moses came to it wealthy; he left it poor.
• Moses came to it a mighty warrior, he left it a meek man.

Oh, how one day we will thank God for our Midian experiences in life as they fit us for service.

It is interesting symbolically in Exodus 2:15 to see Moses after his failure ending up at a well of water, as this is biblically a symbol of the Holy Spirit. There is nothing like failure it to make us realize that we need the Holy Spirit. The word “dwell” means to settle there, and I believe the key to Christian living is sitting down and making our home by the well of the Holy Spirit.

The next thing we notice in Exodus 2:16-17 is that God does not put Moses on the shelve there. Jethro had seven daughters and no sons, and his daughters would have to get there real early and remove the stone that covered the well to start watering the sheep. But each time they would be bullied by the other shepherds who would come later, and this was an everyday occurrence until Moses stepped in to deliver them. God is showing Moses that His call on his life is still there but that he needs to learn how to lead. The word here “helped” in Exodus 2:17 means to deliver in the Hebrew. Notice that Moses didn’t take it upon himself and kill one of them! Instead, he just stood up, the root word here means to “abide”. Moses just refused to move from the place of the well and stood his ground. The victory was not about Moses killing some bully shepherd, he just abided by the Holy Spirit and let Him do the work.

In Exodus 2:18-20 Jethro’s daughters tell the story and as he eats dinner, we see in verse 19 that Moses drew water for all the ladies and their sheep. Only a few days in the desert and Moses is already starting change, he has gone from doing it his way to doing it Gods way and becoming less of a prince and more of a servant. People will always follow a servant before they will ever follow a prince.

In Exodus 2:21-22 at the naming of his first son Gershom, “an alien here” Moses still has more to learn, and it will take 40 more years for he to be prepared. Moses thought of himself still as an Egyptian and 40 years would pass until he would see himself not as an Egyptian but as a Hebrew longing to take his people home to Canaan.

 

 

Hebrews 11:28

“A trusted Sacrifice”

 

• Introduction
• 28a The need
• 28b The Sacrifice

 

Introduction

 There are times like two weeks ago in Moses’ illustration where we see that we can deliberately choose wrongly and suffer the consequences of our actions. Such is the case before us with Pharaoh and the Egyptians. With that said, their wrong decision to this day has become the basis of the greatest celebration in Israel (Passover). It is the greatest for-runner to the work of Christ in all the Bible. What we have before us today is the source of praise songs to God, yet those praise songs include the wiping out of Egypt’s firstborn sons. According to 12:30 “there was not a house where there was not one dead.” The point of this illustration to the original readers is a warning that the failure to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior would lead to the same outcome as if the Israelites of Moses time if they had failed to participate in the first Passover. This morning we will go back to Exodus 11-12:13 and examine the story in greater detail to glen the truth that will transform our hearts and lives as well.

Vs. 28a The Need

 The writer starts with, “By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood..” To understand this, unlike the original readers, we will need to go back to Exodus to examine the reference. The first thing we notice in Exodus 11:1-11 is the so called “preamble” to the Passover. To understand the 11 chapter of Exodus we need to realize that Moses does not place this chapter in chronological order.  Instead, Exodus 11:1-3 happen right before Exodus 10:24-29 where Moses went into Pharaoh to hear his final offer. Furthermore, Moses’ speech to Pharaoh, (11:4-8) happen in between Exodus 10:26-27. Then lastly Exodus 10:28-29 happen right after Exodus 11:8a where Moses explains that the Egyptians will say, “get out!” That’s how the 11^th chapter of Exodus unfolds chronologically. With this picture we can see the responsibility that Pharaoh and the Egyptians had to their own destruction.

1.) Throughout the 9 plagues God had been revealing to Pharaoh and Egypt the futility of worshiping their gods. God said in chapter 12:12 that, “against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am LORD.” What Pharaoh, the Egyptians and the rest of the world is really worshiping is Themselves! God was destroying the images of themselves that they set up to worship. His jealousy is for us not against us as He in His mercy wants us to realize that these images of ourselves are not able to sustain or provide for us. In the death of Egypt’s firstborn sons, they would be forced to realize the fact that they are not in control, which is why they were still enslaving the Israelites. God was making a distinction that it was far better to be His child then to be fatherless. If instead of running from His judgment if they would have run to His mercy and grace they would have been granted life!

2.) God gave Pharaoh and Egypt a choice, and they choose not to obey the Word. All of Egypt knew what God had said, they even thought of Moses as, “great”. They could have done just as the Israelites had done and the angel of death would have passed over them as well. In fact, some no doubt did as we are told in 12:38 that a “mixed multitude” went out with them. God did not kill the first-born sons of the Egyptians their own pride did!

God blessed obedience two ways:

• 1-3 Grace: He gave them what they don’t deserve. First God had the Israelites women to go to the Egyptian women and ask for articles of silver and gold. This was a payment for a debt owed them, but it was God’s grace which provided it. Moses reflects back upon what God had said in chapter 3:21 “I will giveyou favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and you shall not leave empty handed.” Back wages for 400 years of forced slavery. God had promised Abraham in Gen. 15:14 that they would leave Egypt with “great possessions”. God provided back all of what was owed His children. You can never out give God.
• 4-8 Mercy: The Lord clearly warns Egypt what awaits them. The death of the “first born” has three elements to it.

1. Vs. 5 It was without discrimination. All of the first-born sons would be effected equally, from the highest to the lowest would be taken. The judgment was not based upon position or personal stature.
2. Vs. 6 That it was unparalleled: They could not look at this as some coincidence. The way this judgment fell upon those Egyptians they could not deny that it was super-natural as ONLY those first born sons were effected.
3. Vs. 7 It was selective: Only the Egyptians who did not take part in the Passover were judged. A dog did not even bark in the houses of the Israelites.

I list those things to say that Israel was just as sinful as was Pharaoh and Egypt; Israel was not getting what they deserved, and it is based upon the obedience to the word of the Lord. This is true in our lives; we are no different than people in the world, we are sinners just like them. The only difference lies in the fact that we have appropriated the free gift of the blood of Jesus, which was offered to everyone freely.

 

 Vs. 28b The Sacrifice

 The second part of the text and reference of the writer of Hebrews in 11:28b is, “lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.” So here we will need to turn to Exodus 12:1-3 where we see several things that God wanted Moses to convey to the “congregation of Israel”. The first has to do with the TIMING OF THE EVENT: The Jewish nation had two separate calendars, but both are according to a lunar calendar; today most of Israel only recognizes the civil calendar. This is why the Jewish Passover differs from year to year and is not always related to our Easter.

• The civil calendar, which starts in our September – October at the end of harvest season. It is during this time that Jewish people celebrate their New Year “Rosh Hashanah”. But this falls of the 7^th month of their religious calendar.
• The second one is sacred and it is this one that we see the Lord instituting here. It would start in the month of Abid which was changed after the Babylonian captivity to Nisan which was a Babylonian name for the same time period.

What God is saying is saying is that as far as He was concerned, they were having a spiritual “new birth”. He wanted them to realize that time was starting over for them as He was delivering them out of bondage. God choose Spring because it is in the Spring that “new life” is made visible. God was telling them that as far as He was concerned the year starts at the time of their redemption. The same is true with us; we have a “new beginning” in Jesus and we are to continually see ourselves as new creatures in Christ.

The second thing that God didn’t want the people to forget was in Exodus 12:3 and that is that redemption always involves a sacrifice. The concept of redemption is FREEDOM, and there must always be some form payment for our freedom. Every year we celebrated “Memorial Day” which is the day in which we remember those who have laid down their lives for our freedom. The price for human redemption is death and there were two kinds of death’s represented here.

• The death of the first born: To reject the Lord is to pay the price. Which of course not accepted.
• The second, is seen in the Passover lamb: Both of these are fulfilled in Jesus who according to John 3:16 was Gods “first born” Son, who on the cross became the Passover lamb (1 Cor. 5:7). There were four things that every family that participated in this Passover need to realize:

1. 3 It was personal: There was a lamb for every house. God did not want some lamb that was outside of each family. He didn’t want any of the families not to understand the price of their redemption.
2. 3, 6 It was to be precious: This lamb was to live with them for four days. They became fond of the lamb; it was part of the family and everyone in that house new that this little lamb was going to die for them. They saw that the lamb was innocent and had done nothing deserving death.
3. 4 It was to be private or intimate: The gathering for the Passover was centered around the family. If the family was too small, then they were to get with the family next door. God desired that the lamb would be closes enough to each person, so they would understand individually the cost being paid for their redemption. The lamb was according to each mans, need. And this reveals that we all have the need to be redeemed.
4. 5 It was to perfect: The word blemish means an “acquired defect”. It could not have gotten tangled up and damaged by the world in which it lived in, it had to have remained perfect. No scars, but Peter says that Jesus was without a spot and this means that Jesus was also without any inherited defects as well. Jesus didn’t have any ACQUIRED defects from the world or any INHERITED defects from fallen humanity.

There are two more things that I want you to see in Exodus 12:5-7:

• 5,6,7 First, notice that Moses did not say you shall keep “them” but you shall keep “it”. The words “it” (singular) speaks of the lambs (plural). Moses was speaking of sacrificing 1000’s of lambs that night yet as this is written every one of those lambs points to only one Lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
• 6 Second, all the assembly was involved in the deaths of the lamb: All of us are responsible for the death of Jesus as it was for all our sin that He dies. The only difference lay in appropriating His blood.There was not one person who could claim that they were good enough to not have the Passover lamb be sacrificed for them. The only ones that thought that they did not need to sacrifice the lamb were most of the Egyptians as they didn’t choose a lamb to die so their sons did not have to.

Exodus 12:7 tells us that they were to take the blood and place it upon the doorposts of the home. In so doing the blood would have formed the points of the cross. It was the life of the lamb that saved them from the judgment of death. Moses would latter write in Lev. 17:11 “without the shedding of blood there is no remission”. It was not enough that they knew that the lamb had to be killed, they had to apply it or they were to be judged right along with the Egyptians. They couldn’t just watch their neighbors apply the blood and & not do it, the act of what their neighbors did could not save them. It is the same with Jesus’ sacrifice we must personally apply the blood of Jesus to the door posts of your heart! Paul said in Gal. 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

In Exodus 12:8-10 we are told that they were not to boil the lamb it because not a bone was to be broken and to put it into a pot would mean that you would have to break its bones. The lamb was to be roasted in the fire which was to remind them of judgment of fire. Bitter herbs were to remind them of the price of their redemption. Leaven or yeast speaks of sin and that they were to leave that old lifestyle behind and no longer be slaves to sin. They were leaving Egypt, and nothing was to be left behind in the former life.

Finally, in Exodus12:11-13 we see that sacrifice is associated with moving or walking.  If Pharaoh and the Egyptians would have obeyed the command they too would have been saved. God said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” There was not a person saved that night who was sincerely doing their best, or because they were honest and good. God said, “I’m only looking for the blood!”  They were not to look out the window if they did, they would have died. This speaks to us of the truth that nothing could be taken away or added, it was simple trust in God’s only provision.

 

Hebrews 11:29

“Which way to the promise land?”

 

• Introduction
• 29a I’ve got them right where I want them
• 29b A God-focused obsession

 

 Introduction

 Hebrews 11:29 concludes the testimony of Moses with regards to faith with the truth that Israel demonstrated trust in God’s provision and promise even when it didn’t look like they were going the right way. The story the author uses is again a familiar one as it is the Red Sea crossing described in detail in Exodus 14. It is again assumed by the writer that his readers were well versed in this story as he contains all 31 verses in 22 words.

To understand the illustration, we will need to go back to Exodus in 13:17 where we are told clearly that God was “leading” Israel and that it was God who directed Moses “not to lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer.” We are even told the reasoning from God for this as, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” The Exodus was the Israelites first experience of being led by God. And God knew that, not unlike Pharaoh, the Israelites also had commitment and control issues. As such we are told in Exodus 13:19-21 that God was going to do three things in guiding them:

1. 19 He would lead them by faith: Joseph’s bones were a testimony of one man’s trust in God’s promises above what he could understand or see. They needed to learn to trust Gods word in spite of the consequences. Someone once said that “Faith was believing God’s Word in spite of the evidence.” That’s not faith that’s SUPERSTITION! No! “Faith is believing God’s word in spite of the consequences.”
2. 20 He would lead them step by step: We all like to have every bit of information we can before we make a commitment to go, but God does not tell us everything. Instead, He was getting them use to moving one step at a time
3. 21 He would lead them by His presence: today we don’t have a cloud by day and fire by night directing our every move. We have something much better the “sure Word of God”. Ps. 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.”

 

Vs. 29a I’ve got them right where I want them

That takes us to the actual journey by faith found in Exodus 14:1-9 and what is clear in this section is three things:

• 1-2 God was the one that changed their course. “Now the Lord spoke…saying turn the camp before “Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea. Camp there along the shore, opposite Baal-zephon.”
• 4 God had a reason of why He was changing course: “I will gain honor over Pharaoh…that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.”
• 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 God knew how Pharaoh, Egypt and Israel would see this change of course: “They are bewildered by the land…why have we let Israel go…so he made ready 600 choice chariots and took his people with him and pursued Israel…and overtook them camping by the sea.” “And when Pharaoh drew near…Israel saw that the Egyptians marched after them…so they were very afraid…and….cried out to the Lord.”

We are given some strong clues of what this change of direction looked like based upon how Pharaoh saw it (a military advantage) and Israel saw it (a military disadvantage). But this change of direction means nothing unless you have a grasp of ancient Egypt geography. But the reason for these views is geographically God directs them to a place where their backs were to the sea and on the sides were two mountains. God placed them into a cul-de-sac, which there was only one natural way out and that was the way in which they came. Pharaoh clearly saw it as a very bad military decision which left Israel trapped. Israel, however, didn’t seem to recognize this until 600 chariots closed off the mouth of the valley in which they camped.

            Here we need to go back and realize the above facts: God had already directed Israel away from the sea route and into the wilderness. God knew that they were not ready to fight for their freedom. These 3 million Israelites didn’t comprehend that God was taking them away from the natural choices. He wasn’t leading them the normal direction, but since there were no problems, they went along with it. As they are heading out in the wilderness, uncharted territory, God suddenly leads them back the road they came in on, to a place that hems them in. From their perspective it looked as if they were totally lost while being led by the Lord. Have you ever felt as though God was making a bad decision in your life as you are following Him? This reminds me of the old T.V. show “Get Smart”. Don Adams, who played agent 86 “Maxwell Smart”, would always find himself in these situations where chaos, the evil organization, had him pinned in. Then he would call Control on his shoe phone saying, “Chief, I’ve got them right where I want them!” Folk’s that seeming dead end place that you find yourself in right now is not an accident, neither is it a demonstration of God’s poor ability to lead you; It is a place designed by Him to show you that He alone is Lord and that you follow Him not because you understand the places He takes you in life, you follow Him because of Who He is!

Vs. 29b A God-focused obsession

Kent Hughes book, “Liberating Ministry from Success Syndrome”, he writes: “There never has been and never will be a thoughtless action of God towards me. There is not a single item of evil in His plans for His people, neither in motive, conception, revelation, or consummation. This does not mean that we are shielded from hardship or misery, it means that God’s plans are never for evil in the believer’s life, instead they are always with an eye towards their well-being and wholeness – always!” There must be as Kent Hughes says, “A God-focused obsession in our lives if we are to fully experience the benefit of His promises.”

Exodus 14:10-14 we have Israel’s reaction to God’s guiding them into this trap. Not surprisingly their response is similar to how our flesh responds when we are not trusting the Lord’s guidance.

• 10 Fear: They were not afraid until Pharaoh’s army sealed of the mouth of the valley. As long as they could see some way of getting out of their situation, they were not afraid, but the moment they were beyond the scope of their intellect they were, “greatly afraid.” Trusting God’s leading is no problem as long as you can understand the whys.
• 11 Unhappiness: Egypt was known for pyramids which are nothing more they huge crypts. So, the Israelites ask Moses, “Did you lead us out here because there was not enough room to bury us in Egypt?” They not only question the action of Moses they question his motivate as well.
• 12 Bitterness: Finally, they remind Moses that they told him back in chapter 5 that they just wanted him to leave them alone.

Those normal reactions of the Israelites lead to Moses fourfold exhortation of how to

handle the crises of doubt and unbelief:

• “Do not be afraid”: Fear will either energize us or paralyze us either way it can be destructive. So, the first thing Moses tells them is not to react but rather respond. Don’t react to the wave of emotionalism, don’t give in to the desire to react to fear. If you allow fear to be your guide, then your reaction may cause you to make a decision you will regret the rest of your life. It appears by the next statement that Moses makes, that their reaction was going to be to run as he next says, (stand still).
• “Stand still”: This is the Lord’s answer to those in a crisis of faith. FEAR will demand that you retreat or advance. IMPATIENCE will tell you to do it now. PRESUMPTION, will tell you do what is right before it is time. But FAITH says, stand and while your standing be still! It is as though God says, “Hey, don’t go out in your own strength and effort, but do go out in Mine!”
• “Look up”: It is interesting to look at these verses in the Hebrew because the word salvation is the Hebrew equivalent for the name of Jesus. This sentence literally says, “See the Jesus of God.” “Don’t go out and do it in your own strength, instead look for Jesus your salvation that is God.”
• “Be quiet”: Finally, Moses tells them not to complain about their troubles. All that whining does is show everybody that you are not trusting in the Lord. Before they are ever to take a step, the first thing they are to do is shut their mouths.

The last section of Exodus 14:15-31 reveals the outcome of this exhortation. Egypt had brought 600 chariots and placed them at the mouth of the valley. Pharaoh clearly thought that he was going to exact some revenge. As soon Moses is done talking to Israel for God, he talks to God for Israel. But with God there had been a time for prayer and seeking Him but it was now time to act on His answer. As verses 16-22 the “angel of the Lord” which is equated to the Lord being in the pillar of cloud and fire, (13:21). Which a preincarnate manifestation of Jesus surround them, in verse 19. The Lord was not only there to guide them He was there to protect them from the advancing Egyptian army. Furthermore, what was light to the Israelites was darkness to the Egyptians. Next, we are told that in verses 21-22 that the Red Sea which is the region north of the Gulf of Suez part of what is now the Suez Canal, which links the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, became dry land. An article appeared in the L. A. Times in 3/14/92 titled “Research supports Bible’s Account of Red Sea Parting” by Thomas H. Maugh saying, “Because of the peculiar geography of the northern end of the Red Sea, researchers report Sunday in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, that a moderate wind blowing constantly for about 10 hours could have caused the Sea to recede about one mile and the water level to drop 10 feet, leaving dry land in the area where many biblical scholars believe the crossing occurred.” I love it when science is actually correct.

The final thing to notice is in Exodus 23-31 where we see the pride of Pharaoh and the Egyptian army. One has to wonder why they would go after the Israelites knowing what had happened to them during the plagues. I think there are three reasons for this, and they leave us with three negative examples looking at the Egyptian army of the effects of pride:

• Israel had the fire by night guiding them so clearly, they could see the pillar of water on either side, but to the Egyptians all they saw was darkness. They were following several thousand foot prints without looking on either side. Pride blinds you of danger.
• 24 Tells us that it was only during the mourning watch that they saw what awaited them. The mourning watch goes from 2 am until sunrise. Pride keeps us from seeing the light!
• 25 Tells us that it is then that they tried to turn around and head back only to have their wheels fall off. Prides makes it impossible to turn around without our wheels falling off!

 

Hebrews 11:30-31

“Faith, the most dangerous safe place”

 

• Introduction
• 30 Receiving the victory
• 31 Rahab’s steps of faith

 

Introduction

 The next witness for the author of Hebrews for his readers of why they should continue by faith in trusting in Jesus is found in verses 30-31. The first is the example of the Israelites as they faced the walls of Jericho which is found in Joshua chapter 6. The second illustration is closely related to the first but relates to Rahab who first appears in chapter 2 of Joshua. Since these illustrations are intertwined, we will look at them together. Before we examine these stores in detail the point the author is making is that God’s way of faith is never the easy way out, the path of least resistance, and in never proposes to be so; no God’s way of faith is the ONLY WAY!

Vs. 30 Receiving the victory

 Hebrews 11:30 simple declares that “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.” It is again assumed that the original reader would have complete knowledge of this historical event as recorded in Joshua, but we don’t so back we go to Joshua 6. The first thing we need to bring into reference is that Jericho was not an exceptionally large city; but it was an important, formidable fortress city. Excavations of Jericho indicate that the city was protected by two high parallel walls, which stood about fifteen feet apart and surrounded the city. According to Deut. 1:28 and Numbers 13:28 it was the sight of cities like Jericho that convinced ten of the Jewish spies 38 years earlier that Israel could never conquer the land. One of the amazing truths about faith is found in God’s reassuring words in 6:2 where we read the tense of the verb, “I HAVE given Jericho into your hand” in other words the victory had already been won! All Joshua and his people had to do was claim the promise and obey the Lord. The plan for advancement beyond the walls left no room given for human schemes or military tactics all they could do is obey the Lord in bring down the walls. These plans went against what Moses had instructed previously on most every point:

1. They were to use priests, yet we are told that priests were exempt from all military duty.
2. They were told to take the Ark into battle but else where we learn they were never to take the Ark into battle.
3. They were to blow seven rams’ horns but we are told in Numbers 10 that they were to blow two silver horns.
4. They were told to walk around Jericho seven times on the seventh day which would have been the Sabbath, yet we know that according to the law they were forbidden to travel on the Sabbath.
5. Finally, they were told to engage on battle on the Sabbath, yet we know that the law forbids such a thing.

How are we to unravel this seeming contradiction? The answer is found in a prophecy in Zech. 14:3 where we are told that “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.” This is a word about a future time when the Lord Jesus will fight in the battle of Armageddon but just when did Jesus fight before? We never see Jesus draw a sword, yet when we consider that prophetic word in light of this passage, we realize that it was Jesus who was the Commander of the army of the Lord. So then it was Jesus who placed His word above their law.

That brings us to the 2^nd part of this story and the instructions on how walls were to come down. Based upon verse three they were to walk around Jericho one time each day for six days then on the seventh day they were to walk around in seven times. Think of those soldiers as they walked around each day for six days then seven times on the seventh day and nothing changed; the walls didn’t shrink; white flags didn’t start waving from the inhabitants of Jericho. They had no doubt become mentally exhausted thinking of every human means to breach those walls. I think God allows us to go in circles so that we can come to the end of ourselves and realize that the only way to see the walls come down will be by the hand of the Lord. God’s instructions were that the armed men march around Jericho once a day for six days, followed by seven priests each blowing a trumpet. The priests carrying the ark of the Lord would come next, and the rear guard would complete the procession. The only noise permitted was the sound of the trumpets. On the seventh day the procession would march around the city seven times, the priests would give a long blast on the trumpets, and then the marchers would all shout. God would then cause the walls to fall down flat so that the soldiers could easily enter the city. The Jews used two different kinds of trumpets, those used by the priests to signal the camp when something important was happening and those used primarily for celebrations. The Hebrew word for “trumpet” is shofar; but the Hebrew word for “ram’s horn,” it is jobel, which is the root of the word jubilee. Here we see that the Lord had them blow the horn of celebration instead of the trumpet to get their attention. Israel was not declaring war on Jericho, they were announcing the celebration of the arrival of Israel in their new land. They were shouting with a great shout of victory BEFORE the walls fell down not after they did. In faith: we fight FROM victory, not FOR victory! We see three things the Lord would have us remember in dismantle our walls:

• The question isn’t whose side the Lord is on; the question is, are we on the side of the Lord.
• We must come to the place where we are at the end of ourselves, done with trying to scale over, dig under or go around our walls.
• We need to celebrate the victory of the Lord before the walls fall down not just after they do.

I’m impressed by the lack of hesitation from Joshua, the priests, and the people as clearly this was no ordinary way to see walls fall down. The circling of Israel once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh day would have left them extremely vulnerable to attack from the inhabitants of Jericho and they had to do so when it didn’t make much sense to continue. After six days of silence, they were told at the appropriate time to shout for the “Lord has given you the city”. This shout was God’s power demonstrated through man’s silence!

Vs. 31 Rahab’s steps of faith

 The outcome of Israel’s and Rahab’s obedience is given us in the rest of chapter 6 verses 17-21 where we are first told verse 17 that “the city shall be doomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.” We are first introduced to the Amorite Rahab in chapter 2 which happens to be an entire chapter written about a prostitute who lives on the wall and contains nothing strategically necessary to defeat the enemy! Yet after meeting this woman the two spies will proclaim that “Truly the Lord has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us.” There is no report of them doing any espionage; they simple come into the city stay at the house of a prostitute on her roof for a day then leave and confidently declare to Joshua that not only was Jericho going to be defeated but all the lands and all the people. There are several key parts to Rahab’s salvation the first appears right here in 2:12 as we see that she did two things:

1. First, she acknowledged that the God of the Israelites whom she names specifically is the only one that can save her. Many people say they believe in God and even use His name, but they do so without regard to His nature and character. That is not what Rahab did as she used the name used by the Israelites, which implies that she wasn’t trying to make a god fashioned to her own making.
2. Second, she recognizes that she and her family is equally deserving of God’s judgment as were the rest of the inhabitants of Jericho. There is no indication that she feels that she somehow deserves God’s salvation, only that she has done the works fitting her repentance.

There is no argument that she and her family are “good idol worshippers”. Instead, she lumps her family in with herself as equally needing to be delivered. Rahab doesn’t have it all together, what she does have is an awareness that she is a sinner and that only the God of the Israelites can save her. Rahab was forsaking all she had ever known leaving her culture and people behind. What’s interesting is that the only stories she heard about were ones that involved God’s judgment but to her they also spoke to her of God’s love! The same Joshua that would judge most of the people was the savior to Rahab and her family simply because she trusted and obeyed. In Joshua chapter 2:18-20 the spies promise her that if she would show three signs to them that they would honor her request and spare her life and those of her family.

1. 18a Visible Transformation “when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down”: She needed to make a visible sign of where she was at. There are those who profess to know Christ but there has been no visible fruit of that profession no personal transformation.
2. 18b-19 Verbal Conformation “unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household to your own home.” She had to make her confession before others, in this case her family. By gathering at her place, it was an indication that they believed as she had.
3. 20 Consistent Alienation “And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your oath which you made us swear.” Finally, Rahab couldn’t go back on her commitment, she couldn’t just say the words and then go back to the way she used to live.

Based upon Joshua 2:15 Rahab’s house was part of the wall. The most dangerous place to be for the rest of the city was the safest place to be for Rahab and her family. It wasn’t necessary for the spies to look for a window with a red cord hanging from; because the only house that was left standing was her house. God saved and protected Rahab because of her faith and she led her family to trust in God, so they were also saved. Their faith brought them into the nation of Israel and Rahab would marry Salmon and became an ancestress of King David and of the Messiah! Rahab and her family were willing to do what the rest of the residents of Jericho weren’t willing to do even though their hearts were melting at the pending judgment. Rahab’s salvation wasn’t based upon knowledge, but obedience and their disobedience were not based upon ignorance but rather willfulness. It is the cross of Jesus that saves us from our past, it is the cross of Jesus that changes our path and is the cross of Jesus that saves us from the destruction we rightly deserve.

 

 

 

Hebrews 11:32

“Gideon faith”

 

• Introduction
• 32a Clothed in Gideon

 

 Introduction

 Near the close of the 11^th chapter of the “Hall of Faith” the writer begins his conclusion in verses 32-34 with six names of men (and a host of others not named as only part of their exploits of faith is mentioned) none of which are in chronological order but who all served as rulers or judges of some type. Several of them are quite well known in our Bibles and others are not. Some of them we know specifically the story of faith the writer is eluding too, others there are far too many illustrations to choose from. What is interesting to note is that none of the six are praised for their position instead they are famous because of their faith! This morning we will continue our journey of faith exploring Gideon and Barak’s faith then next week we will continue with the rest of the six names given. The context the writer mentions with regards to these names is in his statement “What more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of…” This suggests that his illustrations are far more general and brief and so shall our examination be.

Vs. 32a Clothed in Gideon

 Gideon: The story of Gideon’s faith is found in Judges chapters 6:11-8:35. More is devoted to Gideon in the book of Judges (100 verses) than to any other judge (Samson is a close 2^nd with 96 verses). According to the last verse of chapter 5 of the book of Judges, Israel had 40 years of rest from their enemies after Deborah’s defeat of Sisera but in Israel’s prosperity came complacency as Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. The introduction of Gideon doesn’t make him out to be much of a man of faith as we are told in Judges 6:11 that the Angel of the Lord came to Gideon while he threshed wheat in the winepress which was both very difficult and humiliating. Wheat was threshed in open spaces, typically on a hill-top so the breeze could blow away the chaff. Wheat was not normally threshed in a sunken place like a winepress. Initially God needed to prepare Gideon, this country bumpkin named “hacker” which in the Hebrew describes a person who destroys his own stuff and Webster’s defines as “one who is inexperienced and unqualified at what he does”. Yet we are told that the Lord calls out to him saying, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Don’t you love how the Lord sees us? Gideon didn’t look much like the LORD was with him and he didn’t act like he was a mighty man of valor. He is in a hole with a stick beating wheat, defeated, discouraged, a man full of doubts, not the typical picture of a man of faith. So many people look at what people aren’t, our flaws and failings, the Lord is not ignorant of those things, He looks beyond them and says, “Oh he is my mighty warrior because that is what I’ll transform him into.” God is more than a visionary with regards towards us; He is also a God with infinite patience and love as He knows our frame! We see this in the way God deals with Gideon. The Lord tells Gideon “Go in this might of yours!” God never asks us to go in something that He hasn’t already provided and no matter how week and inadequate it may be in our own strength, in God’s hands He will deliver a nation! Gideon had six things he was mighty in:

• Gideon was mighty in humility:  He was threshing wheat in a winepress

• Gideon was mighty in compassion: He cared about the low place of Israel
• Gideon was mighty in the Word: He knew God did great things in the past
• Gideon was mighty in spiritual hunger: He wanted to see God do great works again
• Gideon was mighty in being teachable: He listened to what the Angel of the LORD said
• Gideon was mighty in being weak: And God’s strength is perfected in weakness

In Judges 6:13-15 Gideon says, “I’m a nobody from nowhere, how can I be the someone that you can use to do great things?” Saints never forget that, God specializes in using “nobody’s from nowhere!” God’s response is NOT to boost Gideon’s “self confidence” it’s to build his FAITH in Him as He tells Him “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.” It’s great that we know that God sent us, but its better still that we know that God is with us! I believe God allows Gideon to express his concerns as they uncovered two truths about Gideon that he needed to realize:

1. Vs. 13 They are found in the three words “IF, WHY, WHERE”: These three words reveal that Gideon was a discouraged, defeated man. His discouragement was not that God COULDN’T work but rather that He WOULDN’T work. Most Christian’s I know don’t doubt the power of God, they struggle with why He is not working on their behalf NOW. Gideon didn’t realize that the problem was not with God but with Israel. It is far easier to blame God for our problems than to except the responsibility. Now in verse 14 the Lord answers that question by saying “Go in the strength you have”. If we want to see the Lord work like you read about in the past then, “Go, right where you are at!” The Lord says, “The Lord is with you…Am I not sending you…I will be with you.” God’s antidote to discouragement is the promise that He is right beside us every step of the way, His power and presence only requires us to “Go with what we have which is, NOTHING but HIM!”
2. Vs. 15 The key here is to see that Gideon sees that this calling has to come from himself: Gideon struggled with inadequacy because he still saw his adequacy as coming from himself and not from God.  Paul said in best in 2 Cor. 3:5 when he wrote “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God”. To answer this problem of sufficiency God says in verse 16, “I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”

Gideon’s response is so much like mine, “Uh, look Lord, you got the wrong guy, why I’m a nobody and my family is a bunch of nobody’s.” “Who am I, Lord?” But the Lord’s response is to tell Gideon “That’s not the issue Gideon, the issue is “Who I Am!” Saint’s the issue isn’t who we are or aren’t, the issue is who God is. It’s not about us; it’s about God and what He alone can do through you! I think Gideon was a lot like most of us: “Don’t want to move without God, but don’t want God in charge just in case we don’t like His plan!” God was asking Gideon to fight a battle, but the most difficult battle was in his own heart!the most difficlt battle was in his own heart! Faith is not obeying without fear; faith is obeying despite fear! Trust is not made visible by the observation that we are fearless but rather by the fact that we still obey even when we are afraid! The battle was fought not by the 32,000 men Gideon assembled to fight against the Midianites and Amalekites but instead with 300 men who were outfitted for the battle with trumpets, pitchers, and torches. We are told that this transformation was accomplished in Gideon in 6:34 as the “Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon”; the Hebrew reads that the “Spirit of the Lord clothed Himself with Gideon”. The Spirit of the Lord wore Gideon as a man would put on a suit! God did not give Gideon guidance, instead, He reveals Himself as his Guide!  God loves to work in the realm of the impossible, it is for this reason that He puts us in situations where we can’t see any way out, then He comes in and delivers us!  Gideon’s men were already over matched (32,000 against 135,000 Midianites) facing 4 to 1 odds when God says, “Gideon the odds are still too good that you will think that you did this on your own!” Oh, how different God looks at things then us, to Gideon his army was too small yet to God it was too big. The first test whittled it down to 10,000 men. Having already reduced the army from 32,000 to 10,000 it now goes down from 10,000 to 300 as there were still too many for God’s purpose. When 22, 000 left then 9,700 the odds went from 4 to 1 to 14 to 1 at the first departure and by the time they were down to 300 the odds were 450 to 1 against! In 1 Samuel 14:6 Jonathan (Saul’s son) told his armor bearer, “Nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.” The army was now less than 1% of its original size and that meant every Jewish soldier was now responsible to fight 400 Midianite soldiers!  What a great advantage for Gideon and those 300 as now they could only trust in God for the victory. You see God eliminated the first 22,000 because their “heart” wasn’t in it and the 2^nd 9,700 because their “head” wasn’t in it! So, saint’s as I see it this is where faith must bring us to ask ourselves: Is your heart towards the Lord and not upon the size of the enemy? Are we teachable; is your head on straight not on your immediate circumstances but on the horizon and the victory? Some say the 300 were chosen because they needed to get a drink of water, but they never lost sight of the possibility of attack from the Midianites. Ah, but it could be that these fellows were too broken down, too out of shape to get into the water, their backs were too bad their knees wouldn’t bend and God was saying, “I want the cast offs, the old fellas that can’t bend over and give me 20, yes, give me 300 the world’s casts offs, the unqualified I’ll take them!” Why is this a possibility? Well because God does great things with those whose hearts are right and their heads are on straight. Based upon the promise of God in Deut. 32:30 where God says that one soldier would put to flight 10,000 all Gideon needed was 27 men to defeat the Midianite army of 135,000 but God gave him 11 times more than he needed. Far too many Christians’ measure effectiveness on statistics but such numbers mean nothing to the Lord!

 

 

 

Hebrews 11:32

“Barak’s faith”

 

• Introduction
• 32b Pegging Barak’s faith down

 

Introduction

 Several weeks back I told you that near the close of the 11^th chapter of the “Hall of Faith” the writer begins his conclusion in verses 32-34 with six names of men none of which are in chronological order but who all served as rulers or judges of some type. Several of them are quite well known in our Bibles and others are not. Some of them we know specifically the story of faith the writer is eluding too, others there are far too many illustrations to choose from. None of the six are praised for their position instead they are famous because of their faith! This morning we will continue our journey of faith exploring Barak’s faith then next week we will look at Samson. The context the writer mentions with regards to these names is in his statement “What more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of…” This suggests that his illustrations are far more general and brief but for us we will need to spend a little more time in our understanding of their illustration of faith.

Vs. 32b Pegging Barak’s faith down

Barak: His story chronologically proceeds Gideon’s as you will read about him and Deborah in Judges chapters 4-5. We are told nothing of Barak’s background and the chapters in Judges deal more with Deborah. It was Deborah the judge who God promised would deliver Israel from the Canaanite King Jabin and his military commander Sisera that had 900 chariots as Barak assembled only 10,000 men from only the two tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun. Deborah describes the situation in her song in chapter 5 of Judges where she says in verse 8 “There was war in the gates; not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.” Militarily, Israel was in a hopeless situation as they had no weapons facing a nation armed to the teeth but that wasn’t their biggest problem, it was that they had left the true and living God. They didn’t need the weapons of the world they need the very present power of the Living God. Barak’s faith is demonstrated in that he realized that God granted them grace but did so in a humbling way by raising up a woman to deliver them. A mother because they were acting like children! (Jud. 5:7) What Israel needed was spiritual revival not mere religious reformation. There is a big difference between “religious reformation” and “spiritual revival”. Reformation only temporarily reforms outward conduct while revival permanently alters inward character. The trouble was that Israel had waited until oppression you drove them to seek “religious reformation” and then settle only for comfort instead of asking for cleansing! The actual battle was conducted by Barak in which the nation had three certainties going into the fight:

1. They were out manned: Israel had 10,000 soldiers, Sisera had 900 Iron chariots plus foot soldiers.
2. They were out supplied: Deborah wrote that Israel did not have a shield or spear among forty thousand in Israel.
3. They were out positioned: Mount Tabor rises 1,300 above the valley floor and their backs were against it.

Yet that is exactly what God had commanded them to do. Ever notice that God does His best work when we can’t do ours? God wanted to teach the nation that it wasn’t the things the world looked to it was faith in God that produced the victory. In verse 15 we are told that the Lord “routed” Sisera, and the word there means to “cause confusion” how did this happen?  The Canaanite god Baal was the god of storms, and this must have added to the confusion in the mind of Sisera and his army. As we are told in chapter 5:4-5 and 5:21 we are told that “The earth trembled and the heavens poured water and the torrent of Kishon swept them away, that ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon.”  God brought about the victory by bringing a flash flood which caused muddy conditions making the chariots of iron a hindrance, not a help in the battle. There was only one thing left to happen and that was the fulfillment of Deborah’s prophecy. Sisera left on foot and ran into a non-Jewish tent and a lady whose name means “mountain goat”. Sisera has every reason to think he was safe as he and Heber had an agreement and Jael acted like she was there to protect him. Verse 11-12 suggests that it was Heber and Jael that warned Sisera that the Jews were about to revolt as they were gathering an army. It seems as though this family was playing both sides for their own benefit. Thus, Barak was out done by a gentile woman using a household tool as it was the women’s job to set up the tent. Jabin and Sisera controlled the Kenites so he was thinking that Heber and Jael would still be under their control as Sisera headed to the house for protection. Jael has a plan to take care of Sisera that involved the most unlikely weapons:

• A blanket
• A warm glass of milk
• A tent peg

As Sisera was ordering Jael around, “give me a drink of water” she was about to pin him by pegging him down. Now spiritually I like this as this is how you deal with the old nature that is ordering you around coming into you tent to tell you what to do:

1. Put the “Blanket” of God grace over it!
2. Pour into it the “milk” of the word of God!
3. Pin it down by “pegging” it through the thought life!
4. Pound it down by “grounding” it in the love of God!

This was the last thing that went through Sisera’s mind, it is where we get the phrase walk softly and carry a big stake!

The 5^th chapter of Judges is where Deborah celebrates in the song the destruction of Sisera at the hand of Jael in the same way one might rejoice in Hitler’s death! Jael didn’t let Sisera live in her tent, she pegged him down. How about it, are you allowing we allowing Sisera’s of our life to live in our tents and he doesn’t want anyone else to know that he is there? Deborah sings of Sisera having been finally nailed down, no longer oppressing the people. She is again thankful towards all who served to defeat these tyrants saying in verse “Let those who love Him be like sun when it comes out in full strength.” Saint’s that’s faith enables us to do, Nail down the enemies in our life, “the flesh, the world system and satan.” Chapter 5:7 of Judges doesn’t say that Deborah was the “mother OF Israel”, it says that she was a “mother IN Israel”. Here was a lady that was a prophetess, a poet, a judge but she saw as her greatest asset was that she was a mother, she knew how to care for children. Her mother’s heart caused her to solicit a military man to help in the gathering of 10,000 men to go up against an enemy that outmanned, out armed and out positioned them. I love the fact that in Judges 5:12 that Deborah includes Barak in the song of those who took action even though he didn’t seem to be too into it to begin with.  Saints, there is an old proverb that says, “It is true that the early bird gets the worm, but it is the 2^nd mouse that gets the cheese!” Deborah gives us two lists the “Roster of the Willing” and the “Roster of the Reluctant”. The 6 tribes the came with the right response to God’s call; Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir (which was the ½ tribe of Manasseh who lived west of the Jordan), Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali. She even singles out the tribes that deserve special mention:

1. Vs. 15 Issachar: Who went rushing into battle into the valley where they would have been most vulnerable to the 900 Iron chariots. Interesting to note that Barak was with them.
2. Vs. 18a Zebulun: Who risked their lives to the point of death. It seems as though each of those men in that company put their lives on the line.
3. Vs. 18b Naphtali: Who stood on the heights of the battlefield. Which suggests that they chose the “hot spots” in the fight and were the “Navy Seals” or “Green Berets” of the fighting men?

I believe that this is a great picture of many in the church who rush in to serve even when they are most vulnerable, those who are willing to risk, whole heartedly take on the “hot spots”. I’m afraid there are far too many in the Church today who are only willing to give God the “leftovers” of their lives to the One who gave them His only begotten Son. The problem is that there is to much duty in our service and not enough devotion! Deborah is thankful towards all who served to defeat these tyrants saying in verse “Let those who love Him be like sun when it comes out in full strength”. The problem with those 4 ½ tribes that didn’t serve was not the QUANITY of their service but rather in the QUALITY of their relationship with God. That is what Jesus told Peter in John 21:15 “If you love Me, feed my lambs.” Saint’s, faith dictates that there must be: No, retreat, no reserves, no regrets in our life!

 

 

Hebrews 11:32

“Samson’s “However” faith”

 

• Introduction
• 32c Faith’s strength in weakness

 

Introduction

 Samson is NOT mostly remembered for his faith but rather for his physical strength and moral weakness. Yet with that said the author of Hebrews places his name among those heroes in the Hall of Faith. His story is found in chapters 13-16 of Judges and contain one on the best-known stories in all the Bible. Before we begin this study, we need to clear up a few things generally misunderstood about him.

1. Great Strength: The first has to do with his perceived strength and the belief that he had rippling muscles. When most folks think of Samson, they think of a guy that looked like a body builder but the reality, according to the text, is that Samson didn’t draw any attention to his physical strength by the way he looked. There is quite a bit of circumstantial evidence that indicate this. First and foremost, we are told over and over is that his supernatural strength came as the result of the fact that the “Spirit of the Lord that came upon him” not his time in the Gym. Second, this is proved by the fact that neither Delilah, the Philistines nor the Israelites seemed to know what the source of his great strength was. I venture to say that if it was his bulging biceps and rippling muscles everyone would have known.
2. Great weakness: The 2^nd misconception centers on his failures. The first verse of chapter 13 speaks of the oft repeated cycle of sin with Israel that “they again did evil in the sight of the Lord.” When Samson’s time as judge is compare with Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, and Jephthah; you will find that in their case the nation of Israel “cried out to the Lord” for deliverance. But during Samson’s time as Judge; at no point during the 40 years of the nation be under occupation did they ever “cry out” for deliverance. Neither is there any mention of the people of God forming an army to help Samson in his battle against the Philistines. What we realize based upon this is that: This was one man’s war against oppression that the nation didn’t want to fight against! Though the Philistine’s were among the earliest to learn how to smelt Iron they didn’t use their technology to militarily over run Israel instead they used two palatable weapons that were very effective in destroying the people: “trade and intermarriage”. Israel was being enslaved by spiritual and cultural seduction. It was Philistine ASSIMULATION combined with Hebrew APATHY that led to God using Samson. Israel hadn’t repented and didn’t want a liberator, so God sent to an unrepentant nation a rugged individualist who instead of fighting national battle was fighting personal ones that had national implications. Samson always fought alone, was never joined by even one person in battle. Without minimizing our disgust at his personal moral failure, we must understand that that Samson alone resisted the dangers of Philistine occupation.

Vs. 32c Faith’s strength in weakness

In Judges 13:1-25 we learn that what preceded Samson’s birth was another downward cycle of sin for the nation and the forty years of oppression was the longest period God sent Israel and Samson was Judge for 20 years of it. According to 1 Sam. 13 the Philistines had disarmed the Jews and Judges 15 tells us that the Israelites were content to allow them to rule over them and even bound Samson up to deliver him into their hands. Samson’s life would be influenced by four women and only his mother’s relationship will be positive. The Lord announced that his mother was to engage in a preemptive Nazirite vow. The word Nazirite comes from the Hebrew word “Nazar” which means “separate”. This was meant to be a living demonstration for the nation of a lifelong separation of the nation to God. The problem was that Samson lived his life separate from things but never separate to God! Samson was dedicated to the will of God but never dedicated to the God whose will it was. Judges 13:24-25 reveals the source of Samson’s strength in that “the Spirit of the LORD began to move upon Him”. Samson is what Churchill described the Russians as “A riddle wrapped up in a mystery inside and enigma”:

• Bold before men but weak before women!
• Empowered by the Spirit yet yielding to fleshly appetites!
• Declared war on the Philistines but hung around them and even tried to marry one!
• Fought the Lord’s battles by day and disobeyed the Lord’s commandments by night!
• Name “Sunny” he ended up blinded by his own darkness! For 20 years he played like a champion but for 20 years he failed to act like a leader!

In Judges 14:1 we read a phrase that is repeated for us five times: “went down”. Though this is a geographical phrase in the case of Samson it has spiritual implications. He was called to be a deliverer while he was still in the womb, but these chapters reveal a man who is always “going down” the wrong path in life. Samson is lived in a time described in Judges 17:6 “when everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” The first recorded words of Samson in Judges 14:2 indicate this as they are “I have seen a woman!” Apart from the Spirit of the Lord coming upon him Samson never makes a right decision, he sees a woman and knows nothing about her and tells his parents “Get her…she pleases me!” To Samson she is only an object whose sole purpose is to please him. Samson’s problem was NOT that he was attracted to beautiful women it was that he didn’t take that attraction to the Lord’s control. Samson is literally “going down” the wrong road to Timnah and somewhere along the way he finds himself in a vineyard and with being a Nazirite you would have thought that this might have been a sign to him, but it wasn’t. He is a man that was struggling being separate from the world because he had not ever been separate to the Lord. Samson is in a place where he shouldn’t be heading to be near a gal he shouldn’t be around, and a lion comes out to devour him when the Spirit of the Lord enabled him to kill the Lion. Samson’s problem was he went back through that same vineyard! Friends never forget that God sends His Holy Spirit upon our lives for far more than ripping apart lions, He sends His Spirit so that we can live powerfully for the LION of the Tribe of Judah! This will be a parable of Samson’s life as he will continually reach into that which is forbidden for whatever temporary sweetness he can gain. Next, we see Samson toying with the vows he made to God at his wedding party as he throws a 7-day drinking vest. He lost control of his tongue and created a riddle out of the breaking of his vow. With only six cryptic words Samson was convinced that there was no way he could lose. His bride first enticed him then she controlled him finally she betrayed him. Samson could kill a young lion with his bare hands but was overcome by the manipulative tears of a woman he lusted after.

No one could call Samson a coward as he was never reluctant to engage his enemies despite the odds against his success. The problem was not cowardice but rather self-centeredness as every battle was always about him. In Judges 13:5 we were told that Samson’s calling, and purpose was to “begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” And although this was accomplished through Samson, I’m convinced that it was never his intent to do so. Samson does not put God’s calling first nor does he put his countries honor first, what should have been a God- given mission was reduced only to personal vendetta’s. We never see Samson rallying the troops to march against the enemy for God and country. Instead, he is a one-man army, fighting only for his own perceived rights. Yet with that said he was the only one of his kind: “A man with fighting passionately for personal freedom in the midst of a society committed to compromise”. It is in these two truths about Samson that we understand how he could be so morally compromised and yet be so powerfully used. Samson simply did the right things for all the wrong reasons! He teaches us that it is far more important for Christians to be wise in their calling and purpose than just powerful in their gifting! In spite of his personal failure Samson continued to enjoy success as seen in Judges 15 where in a moment of desperate need that the “Spirit of the Lord” rushed upon Samson and he snapped the new ropes like burnt threads and picked up the new jawbone and in the hand of Samson that jawbone “did all the talking” in the end 1,000 Philistines found themselves on the wrong end of an ass. The weapon used would have been under the ban of the Nazirite vow. And again, we see that Israel enjoyed A great victory through a compromised instrument! Finally, in Judges 16 we see Samson travels 45 miles south to Gaza the southernmost city of Philistia all for the sole purpose of self-indulgence. Saint’s pay attention here, Samson didn’t fail because the temptation was to strong or inescapable, he failed because he toyed with it, seeking it out until he paid the price. He burst the fetters of his foes but not the cords of his lusts, burned the crops of his enemies but failed to extinguish the flames kindled by his own lust. Samson had to know that going to Gaza (one of the 5 major cities in Philistia) would put him into a very dangerous situation as he was feared and hated, a wanted man. What this tells us is that Samson deliberately exposed himself to the enemy and that his self-confidence was the spiritual weakness to go along with his moral weakness. The sad reality is that Samson’s confidence was without any regard to the empowerment that he had received from the Lord. He simply acquainted his invincibility to his ability instead of the Lord’s. In verse 2-4 the Philistines quickly learn of Samson’s whereabouts and post guards outside the brothel and at the city gates. The city gates would have been massive studded with iron and covered in metal to make them fireproof and once locked there would have been no way out of the city. But Samson carried those enormous gates miles up hill and the Philistines must have been terrified upon awakening and finding the gates moved 4 ½ miles. But beneath this amazing feat of strength and courage is a man who had power without purity, strength without self-control. Samson believed that God was not concerned with broken promises moral failings and the proof was he was still being used! Samson sees a lady and we are told her name was Delilah and that should have been a clue to him as her name means “to weaken or impoverish”. Each of the 5 major cities had a lord over it and it seems as though they all band together to make Delilah an offer that was equivalent to 550 years of wages for the average worker. Despite all the evidence of her betrayal he not only refuses to leave but tells her the secret. This tells us that his problem was not ignorance, in fact for 40 years he had broken every part of that vow except one, “the cutting of his hair”. His life had been hanging by a thread of that hair for a long time. There was no magic in his hair it was a symbol of his supposed separation to God but with is shaved his weak relationship would crumble. One of the most tragic verses in the Bible is here in verse 20 where we read “But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.” How could he be so dumb not to see that Delilah was setting him up after three attempts? Vs. 21 This verse is a great illustration of what sin does in our lives:

1. “Put out his eyes”: First sin “BLINDS” us to the fact there are consequences for the sinful choices we make. It was Samson’s eyes that had gotten him in trouble to begin with and now he finally had the physical blindness to go with his morally and spiritual blindness.
2. “They bound him with bronze fetters”: Second, we see that sin “BINDS” us, holding us captive, no longer able to move around as we once did. Sin offers itself as “freedom” but it is those very “freedoms” that eventually hold us captive.
3. “He became a grinder in the prison”: Finally, we see that sin “GRINDS” us around and around! Sin grinds our lives away all to which at first presented itself as freedom. Samson became a circus attraction chained doing the work of a slave women because he was a slave to women.

But Judges 16:22 is what I believe the author of Hebrews was thinking about with regards to Samson as the verse starts off with the biggest little word: “However”! Oh, how thankful I am for the “Howevers” in the bible! Even in this failed state God had not abandoned him as his hair begins to grow back an indication of God’s abounding grace and Samson’s willing repentance! Saint’s we all should have been shaved because of our shame and failure but God is not the God of just the 2^nd chance but the 2 billionth chances. In Judges 16:23-31 we see that though Samson had lived never learning from his repeated mistakes, so preoccupied with himself that he never saw himself as failing. He had broken his vows, sinned against the word of God, and never lived up to his God-given potential. “However,” God can take the most humbling experiences and use them for the syringe to distribute His grace. God had to strip him from his flesh before He could cloth him in His righteousness. Samson is a man who:

• Had dedication without devotion
• Has authority without accountability
• Had power without purity

This leads to what Hebrews 11 refers to his moment of faith in Judges 16:28 and only the 2^nd time we hear Samson pray. We can see three things in his prayer that reveal his heart of faith:

1. Vs. 28 “O Lord God, remember me, I pray!” Samson prayed as a man who had accepted God’s forgiveness, he wasn’t just remorseful, the past was the past and he WASN’T asking God to strengthen him for the past but rather for the present.
2. Vs 28b “Strengthen me, I pray, just this once”: Samson trust was totally in God as he didn’t say, “If I try real hard, I know I can do this now that my hair is growing”. He uses three different names for God in verse 28 which emphasize this Yeh-ho-vaw, Ad-o-noy and El-o-heem. That’s a new man talking, a man who is relying upon the Lord and not himself. Yet even in this there is a bit of self-centeredness in his request as it’s about his eyes not God’s honor.
3. Vs. 28c “O God that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!” Samson’s request was not done in private but in front of a blood thirsty mob and instead of being paralyzed by regret he saw his situation as an opportunity.

Samson was being led about by a boy and asks if he can be put next to the pillars that held up the stadium which the boy thought nothing of. Folks, the reality is if Samson still had his sight he would have never been allowed anywhere near those pillars. God was better able to use Samson in his weakness than he was in his strength. The grace of God took the results of Samson’s failure and turned them into a great victory! Dear ones listen up, “restoration is not based upon performance!” When Samson had the physical capacity, he was a miserable failure but now that “his” powers were gone God could use him. The truth is God uses, blinded, broken, forgiven sinners even when the above is a result of our own down fall. Samson’s death was not a defeat it was a victory and the only thing that died that day was his failure as he died a hero! A closer look at Hebrews 11 and the list of names that appear there suggests that perhaps it should be call “The Hall of Reclaimed Failures”. Even though we struggle with mediocrity, are prone to big blunders God can still use us!

 

 

 

Hebrews 11:32d

“Jephthah a wanted man of faith”

 

• Introduction
• 32d Bandit to leader of the band

 

Introduction

Jephthah proceeded Samson as a Judge with his main task of defeating the Ammonites instead of the Philistines. His story occupies the 11^th and 12^th chapter of Judges but yet he finds his name mentioned in the Hebrews Hall of Faith. There is nothing about Jephthah that was normal. His life for the first 28 verses of the 12^th chapter of Judges describes the fact that Jephthah had been dealt a bad hand. He was a man with deep emotional scars that seemed to direct his choices in life. Through our examination of him it must be noted at the offset that we neither recommend this kind of upbringing nor can we condone Jephthah’s responses to it. What we can do is appreciate our God who in spite of it can still reach into a person’s soul and not only redeem him but use him to redeem others. The chapter records five stages of development in the life of Jephthah:

• Vs. 1-2 Outcast
• Vs. 3 Outlaw
• Vs. 4-11 From bandit to the band leader
• Vs. 12-28 From street fighter to diplomat 
• Vs. 29-33 Spiritual leader    

Judges 11:1-2 records Jephthah’s being a “mighty man of valor” but it doesn’t coincide with his upbringing. His mother was a harlot, a heathen prostitute. His father “Gilead” (rocky) gave this child a “rocky” start in life. This situation would be difficult in any time, but Israel was a “Theocratic” nation in which all of life centered on the worship of God.His father did the “right thing” by taking him into his home, but he nonetheless grew up unwanted by his step mother and siblings as they drove him away and he fled to the frontier area of Tob where other outcasts and drifters lived, forced to make his own way in the world (verse 2-3).

                    Yet in Hebrews 11:32-34 the author says, “For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, … Jephthah whose name means, (Whom God sets free) was “free indeed” and is mentioned in the “Hall of Faith” as a man who “through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to fight the armies of the aliens.” At the start he certainly would not have been a person voted “Most Likely to Succeed”. Reading through our bibles causes me to realize that God loves to fish in the pond of “dysfunction”. He finds and then develops by His love the most affective servants from the most unlikely places. Our God is in the business of making unusable people usable and ugly people beautiful.

 

Vs. 32d Bandit to leader of the band

According to Judges 11:3 Jephthah went from “outcast” to “outlaw” which seemed like a natural path following his family’s rejection. He was unwanted and unloved and built walls around his rejection that kept him imprisoned in his insecurity. The guy becomes a thug, a gang leader as he hung around “worthless men” doing nothing but raiding folks as he surrounded himself with likeminded thugs and hit the streets of Tob; 15 miles from the Sea of Galilee (Good). It was a place where the Israelites and their enemies lived in constant conflict; all of which was normal to Jephthah. You could probably picture these young men dressed in black riding their loud “Harley Donkeys” with the insignia on their backs that read “Tob Mob”.  Jephthah served as the “Robin Hood” of the area along with his band hardcore thugs who for a price would protect the Jews from attacks from their enemies. It was in this wilderness of isolation that he graduated from the “school of hard knocks”.

It isn’t until Judges 11:4-11 that we learn the condition of Israel to which Jephthah inherits as a judge. For 18 years Israel was under the oppression of the Ammonites and it had reached the point where God questioned the nation’s confession and they realized that they need to submit to His authority and destroy their idols. When the Ammonites once again moved into the region of Gilead (part of modern-day Jordan) the Israelites had a counter-response using the eastern tribes. It was then that the nation needed him and sent a delegation 80 miles to recruit him. The people were desperate they needed a deliverer, and they need one now. There was no mention of prayer only a declaration that “Whoever is the man that will fight against the Ammonites will be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead”. Though they sought him out they reduced his job title from “head over all the inhabitants” in 10:18 to “commander” of the army in 11:6 something that he is quick to point out in verse 9. Jephthah hadn’t applied for the position it was the nation that came calling based upon 10:17-18 the search for a leader was quite extensive. The nation chose a bully to beat a bully and what they didn’t realize was that God was behind the scenes putting Jephthah right in place all along. The one thing that Jephthah did well was fight but he had never fought for something he had always fought against something.

In Judges 11:12-28 we see that in a few days he went from outcast to leader of the band and was now standing negotiating with the enemy face to face. He sent his messengers with a simple message, “What’s your problem!” His accusation was that they were demonstrating unwarranted aggression against a peaceful nation. The Ammonites sent back word that it was not unjustified as Israel had stolen their land and they were here to take it back by force. Jephthah was no dummy with regards to Israel history as he knew that 300 years earlier when the nation passed this way, they asked permission from king Sihon of the Amorites to pass through his land on the way to the promised land. Not only did Sihon refuse, he picked a fight against the nation, but God was with His people and the Amorites went down to defeat and the land became Israel’s. Jephthah did not react by name calling nor did he argue on any other ground except fact. Saint’s, we will never win the world to Christ by fanning the flames of our opinions or stating our claims by our experiences. No we will only demonstrate the truth of our convictions by living by the facts of our resurrected Lord.

            In Judges 11:29-40 we see the Spirit of the Lord coming upon the illegitimate son of a pagan prostitute who had become the leader of a gang. Maybe you know of a person who is the leader of the Mob from Tob and you have long ago given up that their life will ever be anything other than worthless. I’ll never forget what my saved older brother told me before I received Jesus, “You’ll never come to Jesus; you’re going to go to hell.” I love to remind him of those words 37 years later. Jephthah prayed, “Lord if you give us the victory and I’ll give you whatever I see first when I come home.” I’m certain that he wasn’t thinking in terms of his daughter but a lamb or a calf. This was a foolish and unnecessary vow in an attempt to get God “on his side.” It is far more important to be on God’s side than to try and persuade Him to be on your side. What this reveals is that even a Spirit-filled man can do foolish things. Hebrew scholars, translate this as “I will consecrate it to the LORD. If it be a thing fit for a burnt-offering, it shall be made one; if fit for the service of God, it shall be consecrated to him.” Human sacrifice was strictly forbidden by the Mosaic Law in passages such as Lev. 18:21 and Deu. 12:31. Saints, your past may read like that of Jephthah’s; you may think your education and experience has left you completely unfit for use but God can use even the worst of us to accomplish the best of His purposes.

Judges chapters 11:34-40 and 12:1-15 give us four stories:  The first three stories centers around Jephthah who had great zeal for God risking his own life to save others yet such zeal was no guarantee that he wouldn’t fall into spiritual ignorance with regards to the character of God. God transformed Jephthah into a “mighty man of valor” because the “Spirit of the Lord came upon him” but such transformation doesn’t secure that a person will not fall back into poor decisions. Our transformation is a continual process degree by degree over the rest of our earthly existence.

In Judges 11:34-36 we see that the vow Jephthah made was completely voluntary and God was not requiring a vow or any sign to fulfill his promise. It was completely unnecessary to manipulate God in doing what He already wanted to do “deliver His people though Jephthah”. “You can never use diplomacy with God who knows the thoughts and intents of our heart. God doesn’t want to make a deal with you, He wants unconditional surrender!” The problem with Jephthah was not the sincerity of the vow or the zeal to carry it out. It was he fell out of touch with the nature and character of God and thought that to get what he wanted he would need to make a deal and carry it out. Folks, all we need to do to ensure God’s promises for our lives is simply believe that He is who He said He is!

I’m afraid that many have adopted a Physical workout mentality to spiritually that says, “No pain, no gain” but the truth of the matter is that it is “His pain that has caused us to gain”! Jephthah thought that if he committed himself to something that was extremely unpleasant, he could “buy” God’s grace. God’s grace is not for sale because it’s already been lavished upon us while we were still sinners. Jephthah still had the scars of the abandonment of his childhood and felt like he had to prove himself worthy to the only One who is worthy. What should have been a joyous occasion of the victory of God became a time of mourning because Jephthah had a faulty view of who God.  Jephthah had made a foolish vow and keeping that vow would directly affect his daughter, yet she says, “Dad, you’re a man of integrity don’t go back on your promise to God even if it changes my life.” (verse 36)

People want to know in 11:37-40 Did Jephthah really kill his daughter? Three things indicate that he didn’t:

1. Jephthah knew his bible and therefore he would have known that to do such a thing would be against God’s word.
2. Based upon these verses “She went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity . . . She knew no man,” These phrases indicate that Jephthah set his daughter aside for the tabernacle service and never married. What was at stake was her ever marrying a man and continuing on Jephthah’s genealogy.
3. Jephthah is listed in the hall of faith, and I doubt that in only serving 6 years he would have made that list if at the end he participated in a human sacrifice and surly Israel would not have a lament for four days commemorating human sacrifice.

This vow meant that his only child would remain a virgin and serve in the temple never knowing marriage or motherhood which means Jephthah would never be a grandparent and there would be no one to maintain his inheritance which you recall his brothers had ripped him off from.

In Judges 12:1-4 we read of a national crisis as the prideful and obnoxiousness of the Ephraimites come complaining that they didn’t get enough recognition for the victory which they had chosen not to participate in. They were the kind of folks who talked tough after the battle! They had made the same mistake 85 years earlier with Gideon but totally miss read Jephthah. Nothing grinds God’s work to halt more than complaining and it is usually on the heels of a great victory. The Ephraimites took “firing Jephthah” to a whole other realm as they wanted to “burn” him out watching him literally go up in flames. The Ephraimites were critics who were content to sit in the pews and direct “gospel traffic”. Jephthah’s problem was that his actions gave them the power that they didn’t deserve. Someone once came up to D.L. Moody and said, “Mr. Moody I don’t much care for the way you teach!” Moody said, “Well please tell me what I can do better?” The person replied, “Oh I don’t have any specific suggestions!” To this Moody said, “I’ll tell you what I like the way I teach better than the way you don’t!”

In Judges 12:5-7 we see in the battle with the Ephraimites that this wasn’t Jephthah’s fault. As the Ephraimites began streaming back across the Jordan river Jephthah wanted to make them “eat their words”! When they came to the river’s edge, he asked them to pronounce the Hebrew word for stream, they had an accent and couldn’t pronounce the “sh” sound. The mispronunciation of the word caused 42,000 to die on the spot. Jephthah killed more of his brothers than all the other Judges combined killed the enemy, with exception of Gideon. With this Jephthah became his own worst enemy! Jephthah had been a recipient of the grace and mercy of God in his own life but was unwilling to extend that grace towards others. He became hardheaded which caused him to become hardhearted. Far too often we Christians make what we differ on what divides us then we treat each other as enemies instead of brothers and sisters.

 

 

Hebrews 11:32e

“David’s development of Faith”

 

• Introduction
• 32e David’s development

 

Introduction

To conclude this chapter, the writer finishes with One King (David) and the first of the prophets (Samuel) as he bridged the Judges to the Kings. Then the writer moves to speaking just of incidents that these people of faith accomplished by trusting in God like: Subduing kingdoms, working righteousness, obtaining promises, and stopping the mouths of lions etc. Those statements give way to the truth that NOT all of these people of faith outcome were positive as some were: Tortured as they didn’t accept deliverance, still others stood trial, were mocked, scourged and endured chains and imprisonment. All of which the writer says proves that the “world was not worthy of them”. They obtained a good testimony through faith even though they didn’t receive the promise in their lifetime, and they did this to provide something better for us and will be made perfect with us.

Vs. 32e David’s development

David: Our focus will be on David’s development of faith not upon the evidence of faith described throughout his life. We start our research of David in 1^st Samuel 16. David is a man who doesn’t lack illustrations of faith throughout his life, in fact we are challenged to pick what stories to choose. David’s life covers forty chapters of the Bible covering most of three books and glimpses of 73 of the psalms he wrote. Yet with this being true I’ve noticed something about greatness as it relates to us mortals; we ascribe it very differently than God does:

1. We recognize it upon outward things: We evaluate greatness upon a person’s deeds rather than their character!
2. Second, we wait to ascribe greatness only after a person’s deeds warrant such applause: We wait to award the trophy until after the season is over. What we fail to realize is that greatness is not awarded it is rather forged.

Because of this we fail to see that that the number one reason most people who aspire for greatness seldom attain it is because: We don’t see the connection of the product of greatness with the inevitable process that proceeds it! David is a man whose greatness was in his inward character forged by going through the process. But don’t miss understand me this life of faith didn’t guarantee that he NEVER made mistakes or failed. We can get a bit of insight into David when we break down the 23^rd Psalm written by David as a reflection of his time as a shepherd boy and we can see that early on God had done six things in David’s heart:

Vs. 1 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want”: Believing heart

Vs. 2 “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters”: Patient heart

Vs. 3“He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake”: Holy heart

Vs. 4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me”: Confident heart

Vs. 5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over”: Grateful heart

Vs. 6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever”: Fixed heart

It should also be recognized that the initial anointing of David by Samuel is the first of three and after this first anointing Samuel simply leaves him and goes home. There was no attempt to place David on the throne and it would yet be another 25 years before he would reign. Reading through Samuel’s account of David reveals that he was a teenage shepherd in a home where he was the youngest and appears to have been overlooked by his father and brothers. Simply put it was adversity and obscurity that David majored in growing up. I have often heard it said that life boils down to choices, but the outcome depends far more upon how we respond to those choices then weather they were right or wrong decisions! Then there is that the timing of the departure of the Spirit of the Lord from Saul which corresponded at the same time in which the Spirit of the Lord came upon David (verse 13). The beginning of David’s national prominence was not upon what one would consider the normal battlefield as Saul had a “troubling spirit” and one of his advisers though that “music therapy” as the thought seems to have been if, “Music tames the savage beast why not the troubled Saul?” and David was brought in for this. So, David’s first service for the nation was as a worshiper before he was seen as a warrior. It is no accident that we see David in his humility where he learns to worship God before he becomes a soldier, servant, or king. If a person is not first and foremost a worshiper of God, they will not be much good at anything else. Based upon 1 Samuel 16:18 we can already see six visible characteristics about David made from observations others which led to his selection to sooth the king. This was not David’s resume; these qualities were clearly visible in his life. What’s more impressive is that they will be visible throughout his life. At the very end of David’s life in the 23 chapter of 2^nd Samuel the nation morns for the soon departed David as they call him the “the sweet psalmist of Israel”. Not the mighty king, the great warrior, the most impressive quality of David’s life was seen in his devotion towards the Lord! This list of six qualities is in reverse order from the least important to the most important. As I think we would all agree that having the “Lord with him” is the most important.

1. “Who is skillful in playing”: This of course has to do with technical ability but when you think about it this ability lie’s more with attitude then it does with talent. Take a gifted person who is unwilling to practice and improve on their gifting, and you will have a talented player but not a skillful player. Becoming a worshiper is something you grow into, something that we can practice and improve in. All of which suggests that we need to spend time getting better at worshipping the Lord!
2. “A mighty man of valor”: This is an interesting quality as it tells me is that a worshipper is in the middle of a battlefield! We worshipper’s need to “put of the full armor of God” ready to do battle with our egos and flesh. We need to boldly deal with the attitudes of our hearts that would hinder us from true worship.
3. “A man of war”: David had not yet fought the giant, and there was no evidence that he had battled anyone save the lion and the bear that stole his father’s lamb (17:34-35). I suggest to you that a true worshipper of God is a man of war in as much as he makes war in his worship against an unseen realm. David had won many a victory in praise as he plucked the strings of his lyre long before he took up those stones in his sling. “Could it be we lie defeated on the battlefield of life because we have not taken time in the battle of worship?”
4. “Prudent in speech”: David knew not only what to say but when to say it! Worship begins inwardly but it cannot remain there. David would reveal his inward heart by being a man not overtaken by his emotions or passions he could just be quite or say the right word that would lead others to want to know of His devotion! All too often the body of Christ has fought over content rather than having a right heart!
5. “And a handsome person”: Now we may be tempted to say that very few of us would qualify if appearance were necessary for being a worshipper. Yet I think we narrow this far too much. I think this speaks of two things both balanced:
6. First, I think this speaks of coming before the Lord presentable. In 1^st Peter 3:2-4 as Peter speaks to women who are trying to win their unbelieving husbands to the Lord, he exhorts them to do so by the; “hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”
7. Second, I believe that as we worship the Lord it is our invisibility next to the Lord’s visibility that is beauty! It is when His character and nature is seen in our lives that we become beautiful, and this is what people saw in David! It is for this reason in the N.T. that we Christians are told continually to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ”!
8. “And the LORD is with him”: There was a clear visibility of the lord’s presence in and upon David’s life. No matter what we may say of the above five qualities apart form this one no of them would matter. David had learned early on that spending time in the presence of God was what made sense of life. It is there that we learn that what we have we can be thankful for as in Him we are safe! We see that “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Eccl. 3:11).

David is summoned from the pasture to the palace, yet I find it comforting that after Samuel’s anointing that David simply returns to the sheep. Even after being summoned to the palace he splits his time between the palace and the pasture! That tells me that David was content to allow the Lord to raise him up as well as keep him up. David saw in the work of God upon his life the wisdom of the Lord’s processes! Between the 16^th chapter and the 17^th chapter David grows and matures to becoming a man as Saul does not recognize him (17:58).

            Furthermore, David grew in his ministry as he starts out as the worship leader then in 1^st Samuel 16:21 we are told he becomes Saul’s armorbearer. This may not mean too much to us, but this was a soldier’s chief assistant and their success in battle depended upon the faithfulness of their armorbearer, kind of like a parachute packer for as skydiver! David learned in these days have what it meant to be King and what it did not mean from Saul. Saul on the other hand found comfort from the David’s ministry but did not learn the key to peace as seen in his life. We must not ever become to old and set in our ways that we cannot learn from others even those whom are under us what it means to worship the Lord! Now one final note concerning what comforted Saul as David played. Look at David’s Psalm’s and you will discover that they are scripture set to music. Yeh so? Well, this tells us that it is possible to be comforted by the word and yet remain unchanged, untransformed by its truths.

            All of this will lead us to the conclusion of our investigation of David’s development of faith as we come to one of the most familiar stories in the entire Bible the battle between David and Goliath. We too face giants in our lives, those areas where the obstacles to our victory cause us to cower at their mere presence. We mount up the courage to stand upon the hill with the champion of our past victories only to become greatly afraid by the challenge of our giant’s shouts. “Where is our champion, our David”! Christian, our champion is not to be found in a technique, it is to be found in a person who like David had the “Spirit of the Lord come upon Him”. And by His wondrous grace His victory is our victory. All we do is stand upon His hill and shout the praises of His prowess and then chase the slain enemy back to whence they came! Paul wrote of our champion in Romans 7:24-25 when he said, “Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God; through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

            King Saul had gone from a man who upon “seeing” the strongest bravest man took him on to a man who just hearing the words of Goliath was already whipped. Goliath sought a man who would fight him in his own strength and Saul and the army of God could not see to fight any other way. Ah but young David in the 1^st Samuel 17:45 proclaims, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” Yet another lesson learned at the expense of Saul and the giant. It is not me against the giant; it’s the poor giant who has to take on the God I serve! Don’t give the giants you face a mere man to fight give them the God they mock! It is here that we will stop our study of David’s development of faith by noting three things about him as he went before Goliath in 1st Samuel 17:12-21:

1. 12-14 David was both young as well as inexperienced. He was the youngest of eight sons; furthermore, his brothers were already off in battle and dad was too old to train him to fight. His brothers were big strapping fellows named “Elias = “God is father” Abinadab = “father is noble” Shimea = “fame”. And David is the “least of these” and here in lies his strength for we are told “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10).
2. 15-17 David was humble and a servant. By now David was already the worship leader in Israel and splitting his time between the palace and the pasture. And yet you don’t hear any words of David to his father, “Hey dad I don’t do sheep any more I’m a worship leader!” Instead, David was content to split his time and only came to the palace when needed. It is not until after Goliath is defeated that David is given a place to stay in the palace. We need to be faithful in the small things. It is Jesse who sends David with supplies hoping for news about his three sons. It was David’s father Jesse who hopes to present the captain with the food perhaps getting his older sons an advancement. Goliath taunted the army twice a day morning and evening and that means that David must have caught the morning show as the Giant was dead by night fall. My point is this; David must have got up very early to start on his 8-mile journey to the front with the supplies. But before he left, he made sure that those sheep had a keeper to tend them. David had a shepherd’s heart and nothing left in his care would be well taken care of.
3. 19-21 There is one last thing to note in the development of David and that has to do with the difference between what David did and what the rest of the nation did. Saint’s there is a big difference in shouting at the enemy and fighting against him. We are told that Saul and all the men of Israel were fighting against the Philistines but in reality, all they were doing was going to out shout and argue the enemy. You can’t merely out shout and insult the enemy they must be slain. You can’t out posture them and threaten them they have to die!

Saul could not see God doing anything apart from him and David could not see himself doing anything apart from God! There is a very important detail that speaks to the work of God in the heart of David: David left the safety of the hill and walked down into the valley where Goliath was without having any stones for his sling. I’ve been to this sight in Israel, and it is a good walk to this brook. Here is my point David took a walk of faith before he was equipped with the provisions to defeat the giant. David was unarmed when he went into that valley to face the giant. We often want the Lord to give us everything we need before we leave the comfort and security of our hill and what David recognized is that he had everything he needed when he left the hill because the Lord was with him! This is why David had already rejected Saul’s armor and the tried-and-true method of fighting for two very important reasons:

1. “I cannot walk with these”: We can see this young man trying to walk around in Saul’s armor and not being able to do so. Much of the focus of the comments on this passage are from the perspective of David recognizing that he could not put on another man’s armor to do what God wanted him to do. I do not disagree with this view, but I find it interesting to look at this verse from the perspective of Saul who wanted to send out David in his armor without risking anything himself. I would be very much content with sending out God’s provisions for warfare on someone else and staying on the hill and watching them work! I’m not always that eager to by stretched in my faith even though I’ll talk about God’s provisions and even help others put them on. Ah but God will have none of that as security is not in the provisions but rather in the Lord who has provided them in the first place!
2. “I have not tested them”: David’s second comment is also penetrating as twice we are told in this verse that David had no experience in Saul’s (or for that matter any other man’s) armor. I’m not suggesting that we cannot learn from watching how others do battle but what I am suggesting is that the greatest asset we have is our own learning to trust the Holy Spirit as He moves in and through our lives. Every battle we have gone through tests us and strengthens us. It is a glorious thing to see the natural way in which the Holy Spirit possesses a human, but it is not something that we can duplicate. No, we must allow Him to have all of us then and only then will we experience the victory that He has accomplished through others.

 

 

Hebrews 11:32f – 40

“The World was not worthy”

 

• Introduction
• 32f-34 Samuel and the prophets
• 35-38 Whom the world was not worthy
• 39-40 Something better

  

Introduction

The heroes of the Hall of Faith stand enshrined in scripture as evidence of God’s power as they are honored for simply trusting in God. These people were called to “subdue” literal nations as God worked through His people Israel as they performed acts of righteousness on His behalf over God’s people. Many of them obtained what God had promised, others never lived to see it. This section is placed by the writer as a reminder to his readers that faith is not limited; it is equally valuable to a person as it ENABLES as well as EQUIPS: A person of faith can suffer and be strong. The accomplishments of faith as evidenced in Hebrews chapter aa from our perspective may seem to be varied and valued differently; but all indicated to the fallen world that it was not and never will be worthy of those who have trusted a Mighty God and to us they serve as a reminder that this NEVER has been or ever will be our home!

Vs. 32f-34 Samuel and the prophets

Samuel is added to this list of the people of faith though he was a prophet and not a king or warrior. Samuel fought the fight of faith equal to any battle that a soldier faced as he squared off against the two greatest enemies of the faith a nation can fight against, national idolatry and immorality. His call was to stand up in the middle of a polluted society and speak the truth of God’s Word to a nation that didn’t care to listen. The battles he fought were not against the Amorites of the Philistines but rather against his own people. It takes far more faith to stand up for God against your family and friends than it does those who outwardly oppose the faith. Look out upon the horizon of the enemy’s attacks against truth and you will notice that he has gained far more territory through social pressure than he has military attacks. Yet, throughout Samuel’s life from the time he wore the lien ephod in 2:18 until his death he stood for God’s Word against a nation that didn’t want to listen to it.

Next the author mentions “The Prophets” who are unnamed except for Samuel but non-the-less risked everything for the Lord. They didn’t fight on the battlefield made of dirt but won victories against the opposition as they trusted God. The exploits of verses 33-34 are general but we can adequately guess some of the references as being: Daniel, who stopped the mouths of lions. And Daniel’s three friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego who quenched the violence of fire. The Greek word for “subdued” means to “fight down or to overcome” and signifies a desperate contest where as “worked righteousness” is speaking of a personal virtue but also of how this personal virtue was on display in public. Faith was evident in these servants by the way they exhibited their influence in what God had called them to do. The writer’s point is show that these people of faith accomplished through their trust in God whatever was needed be that political or overcoming enemies. God works through those that trust Him and the obstacle no matter how large or small cannot stand against Him!

Vs. 35-38 Whom the world was not worthy

Vs. 35-38 “Women received their dead raised to life again” is a reference to both Elijah (who brought back from the dead the widow of Zarephath child in 1 Kings 17:8-23) and his predecessor Elisha who did the same for the Shunammite woman’s son in 2 Kings 4:18-37. The point the author is making is that both of these prophets and mothers believed God for the resurrection and God did as He had promised. These women suffered through the loss of their children but because they trusted God their pain was alleviated when they witnessed their children raised back to life. God may not always work this way but for the believer He will always raise those who trust Him alone back to life and not this mere resuscitation that these two mothers went through as their children like Lazarus would die again. “Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.” Some afflictions mentioned in verses 36-37 God gives power by faith THROUGH the trial instead of OVER the trial. But it is a greater victory when God grants by faith power to endure THROUGH a trial than to triumph OVER the the trial as He walks with them throughout its entirety. Oft times it requires more courage to “HOLD ON” then it does too “FIGHT ON” to “ENDURE” than it does to “ESCAPE” and when this is true it will require faith. Some of the scenarios mentioned in in 36-37 would have been totally escapable for the non-believer but are unavoidable for the person of faith. Those of faith suffer because of God’s Word and their trust in Him and it would be a far greater torture to to deny God and His Word then it would be to endure the punishment of the world for their faith. As such they would not accept the terms for their release even if it meant their death or imprisonment. The word “tortured” in verse 35 is a word that indicated a person being stretched over a drum and beaten with clubs until they died. The true believer would rather be beaten to death then compromise their faith; not willing to sacrifice on the altar called immediate for the promise of the future in Christ. These are willing to accept the WORSE the world can distribute so they can receive the best God has in store for those that trust Him. They did all of this because they believed that they would receive a better resurrection then being spared the temporary alleviation of suffering!

            Some endured “mocking’s and scourging’s” which speaks of both mental as well as physical suffering. We can’t be sure but Jeremiah was one who went through both of these as he was emotional abused as well as physically abused and was known as the weeping prophet, but his weeping WAS NOT for what he endured at the hands of his own countrymen but for the people he was called to speak the Word of God too as they rejected his message. Others went through imprisonment and the embracement that accompanied such a thing as they were numbered with the transgressors. Some received capital punishment of stoning which was a Jewish punishment like Zechariah the son of Jehoiada (2 Chron 24:20-22) while others like Isaiah was sawn into according to tradition during the reign of Manasseh. All of which was a result of people becoming so irritated by the message that they were called to deliver. They weren’t able to make a living and wondered from place to place having nothing but animal skins to ware and were “destitute, afflicted and tormented”. The world wanted to rid themselves of such people but in their so doing all that they proved was that God agreed with them in as much that the very people they believed shouldn’t be allowed to live among them God said that they weren’t worthy of them! Peter said of them in 1 Peter 1:4 that they were headed “to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven” Their primary concern was not for the safety of their lives but rather for the safety of their faith! The world drove them out, believing them unworthy to live, but God saw the world unworthy of have having them! The word for “caves” in verse 38 is a word in the Greek that means a hole or a place you can see through, it is the same word used for Moses in Ex. 33:22 where God placed him in the “Cleft or hole” when His presence passed by him.

Vs. 39-40 Something better

Vs. 39-40 These saints held onto a living hope and had the courage to count the cost through faith of the salvation God had promised! What happened to them during this life was not what they were concerned about “as they obtained a good testimony through faith” even though they didn’t immediately “receive the promise.” The failure to obtain the promise was not due to either God’s lack or their lack of faith; instead it was due to the fact that God’s plan had something better in view and that was that such a delay was for their perfection. And their perfection was dependent upon our perfection! Their faith was not about an immediate fulfillment, it was all about the permanent and ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises! God had provided something better for those under the New Covenant which not until the time of Jesus finished work on theirs and our behalf their salvation would not be completed. Without Jesus’ perfect work of atonement, NO salvation was complete no matter how much faith they may have had. Their faith was based upon what Jesus WOULD DO while our salvation is based upon WHAT JESUS HAS DONE.They were looking forward and we are looking back; they trusted in a promise, and we trust in a completed historical fact the finished work of Jesus and the result of such trust is the same for both. Though their salvation was not completed in their lifetime they are no 2^nd class believers. Jesus said to Thomas in John 20:29 “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”