Hebrews 11:27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
In verse 27 we read of Moses’ call of God to confront the Pharaoh regarding the release of Israel. After the 9th plague, the Pharaoh was very angry with Moses. He threatened his life if he ever came before him again. Moses did not fear this threat. He obeyed God and warned the Pharaoh and the nation of the final plague of God. Many Egyptian families lost their firstborn son in a single night. They also lost the first born of their livestock. The Pharaoh as well lost his firstborn son. He hastily called for Moses and told him to leave immediately. Of course God knew all about this and He had the nation of Israel ready for the hasty exodus. Moses endured because he knew God was real and he had learned the importance of believing Him.
He kept the passover by faith. They had never done such a thing before. However, God told Moses what the nation needed to do, and Moses told them, and he also kept it himself. He sprinkled the blood as commanded because he knew that was the only hope for his firstborn son and all others.
Moses also acted differently at the Red Sea than the majority of his people. He did not complain to God and think they would die there. He did not know God’s next move, but he trusted God and when God opened the way, the entire nation passed through the trench on dry ground with a wall of water on either side. They witnessed some very interesting things, but only a few of them learned of the greatness of God through that. The Egyptians were so angered and so intent on bringing the nation of Israel back into bondage that they foolishly followed them into the Red Sea. They did not act by faith. God was not going to bring them over to the other side. He destroyed them in that Sea. Those walls of water came crashing back down and the Egyptian army was drowned in that Sea that very day. That was a further shock to the nation of Egypt.
We can see here that faith is the acknowledgment that God is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. The Pharaoh and his army had no interest in knowing the true God. They just wanted their cheap labour back. They would not get that.
In verse 30 we are reminded of another important event in the history of the nation of Israel. Some 40 years after crossing the Red Sea, they crossed the Jordan River and came to the first city in the land of Canaan, Jericho. Israel was not a warrior nation. They had spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness. Many of the older people had been fighting against God and they lost. They died. Joshua was commanded to lead the nation in a march around the walls of Jericho once for 6 days. Then on the 7th day they were to march around 7 times. Joshua and the people had never done such a thing before. Who ever heard of taking a hostile city by marching around it? God told Joshua what they needed to do and the people listened. We are told they did so by faith. After all the marching, those walls miraculously came down. There has been debate as to just how those walls came down. We know that Rahab’s house was spared. It sat on those walls and her family was inside. It is not difficult for God to protect those He chooses to protect. It is also not difficult for Him to destroy those who must be destroyed.
Rahab did not have the privilege of growing up in the nation of Israel. She exercised greater faith than some of the Jews did. As a person who was raised in paganism and only exposed to the truth for a short time, when the spies came to her, she trusted in the God they spoke of. She was rewarded for her faith. She first received the spies in peace. She did not turn them over to the authorities. She later had her family in her house and she had that scarlet cord out the window over the wall. God rewarded her and her family. They not only survived the devastation of those walls coming down; she is also mentioned in the lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ. God will save anyone who will come to Him in faith. He knows no-one deserves His salvation. His mercy and His grace provide salvation for all who will come to Him in faith. The Calvinist rejects that and that is to his detriment. The wise person believes in the true God and is blessed in doing so.
In verse 32 we read of more examples of true faith. God limited His time on this matter. In heaven time will be no more. There will be much time to be reminded of the goodness of God. Here there are time restraints on us. However, God mentioned Gedeon/Gideon who also trusted God and was rewarded for that. Barak was reluctant to trust God on his own but God mentioned him here as well. Samson is a unique individual who acted in faith for a time, but missed out on blessings because of his abuse of that true faith. Jephthae also trusted God for a victory that Israel needed, that no other man wanted to lead them in. David was a man who demonstrated faith in God on many occasions. He did so while looking after his father’s sheep. He also did so against Goliath and then while fleeing from Saul, etc.
Samuel believed God while living in an ungodly environment. He did not follow Eli and his sons’ ungodly ways. He honoured God and God could direct him. There were also many prophets like Elijah and Elisha who trusted in God and were directed by Him in important matters.
We read in verse 33 that these and others were able to subdue kingdoms, and acted with righteousness. They destroyed nations that God told them to destroy. They did so at His command. They obtained promises because they acted in faith. They also stopped the mouths of lions. We know the lions could not touch Daniel because he trusted in God. He had no human reason to believe he would survive that lions’ den. He had good reason to trust God to protect him in that violent place. Those lions became like little kittens. They never bothered him. However, when his enemies were thrown in amongst those same lions, they were instantly destroyed by them. Daniel was a man of God and he trusted in God. He did not know the outcome before hand, but he trusted in God. He did not demand things of God. He had demonstrated faith in God since he was a young person. He was very effective in exalting the true God in a very pagan environment. Kings and others were greatly impacted by his faith in God.
In verse 34 we read that there are those who quenched the violence of fire. We know that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abenego were cast into an extremely hot furnace, but suffered no harm. The men that cast them into that furnace died. They chose to obey a pagan king rather than trust in God. The king learned an important lesson through his rage. He learned that his rage could not wipe out God’s servants.
Others escaped the edge of the sword, and others were made strong out of weakness. We do not need to be the strongest people in the world to trust in God. Often times, it is those who are not strong who learn to trust in God and are strong in Him, and not in their own selves.
II Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
The Charismatics cannot say that. They abuse God’s Word and condemn themselves. The apostle Paul learned to trust in the true God and was blessed and a blessing because of that.
God used ordinary people who came to believe in Him. He used them to do things that we cannot normally do. He received the glory through them. Jesus reminded us:
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Serving God is not for the haughty. It is for the humble servant of God. There are those who want to boast of their prowess. They have their praise of men, but they have nothing with God. It is not our names that need to be written in lights. It is God’s name that needs to be written in lights. His glory can be seen in the heavens. It is up to those who are saved to remind others of His glory in an honest manner. That is the way of blessing.
Pastor Bartel
