Faith - Session 4 - Heroes of Faith III

The Church of Divine Guidance (CDG) Sunday morning adult bible study group is in a study on faith. These posts are my notes for each session. Please study with us. You can participate by asking your questions or making comments in the comments below. We welcome your thoughts and prayers.
This is something that I read this week that I want to share with you. I forgot to record the name of the author so I can't tell you who wrote it.

Faith is not a vicarious experience. While others can help to bring us to Jesus, He calls our name and we must personally respond. Not just once, but every day, every moment. Faith is a door into an ongoing, intimate dynamic relationship with a living, loving God who, in Jesus Christ, has come to seek and save the lost. Jesus reminds us "You did not choose me but I chose you." (John 15:16)

Foundation Scripture

Hebrews 11:1-2 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. –

What two things does faith enable us to do?

1. Faith enables us to realize that God does exist because we see His creation and realize that things that we see were created by Him who we can’t see but know that He exist. 
2. Faith enables us to please God. 

Hebrews 11:3 (HCSB) By faith we understand that the universe was created by God’s command, so that what is seen has been made from things that are not visible.


Why is faith an essential part of our relationship with God?

Because without it we can’t please God

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

What is the evidence that our faith is not irrational or blind faith?

Creation and the Word of God.

How do we grow in faith?


Through the Word of God

Romans 10:17 (NKJV) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 

Introduction

Last week we continued our study of the writer of Hebrew's heroes of faith. Week before last we talked about Abel, Enoch, and Noah. We said that they exhibited the nature or quality of faith.  Able showed  trust and loving acceptance of whatever God gave and he sacrificed the first of that. The nature of faith shown by Enoch is that it turns us from relying on human wisdom to God's revelation and walking in that revelation causes our faith to grow in intimacy. We learn from Noah that faith is persistent.

The other heroes in this chapter will show the variety of actions that can accompany faith. Remember one of the things that we said about faith is that to be really applied there needs to be some action. Belief alone is not enough because as it says in James that even the demons believe.

We started the study of these other heroes last week with Abraham and Sarah. Abraham believed God and left his kinfolk, his present comforts and prosperity, and, at the age of seventy-five, set out for Canaan, a land he had never visited and knew nothing about. He was even going to sacrifice Issac, the son that God promised Sarah and him in their old age because he believed that God would bring him back to life so that the promise of descendants without number would happen.

Sarah also believed, after some initial doubt, but regained her faith and she became a mother in her old age.

Now let’s look at some of  the other heroes of faith and their actions;

Isaac

Hebrews 11:20 (HCSB)  By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

Isaac blessing Jacob

There are few examples of dramatic demonstrations of faith by Isaac, in the Bible but he was still able to, by faith, foresee their eventual character and role of his sons Esau and Jacob in God's plan. After he realized that he had been tricked into giving Jacob the blessing reserved for the first born he didn't change it and his blessings for both Jacob and Esau are exactly the way things turned out. It wasn't because of Isaac's blessing it was because he gave them in faith knowing that what God had promised Abraham would come to pass and through the son with the birthright.

Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)  A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.

Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in the covenant promise made to Abraham concerning things to come

Here is the blessing to Jacob;

Genesis 27:28-29 (HCSB)28 May God give to you— from the dew of the sky and from the richness of the land— an abundance of grain and new wine.29 May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brothers; may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Those who curse you will be cursed, and those who bless you will be blessed.

Sounds much like the blessing that God gave to Abraham doesn't it especially the last part “Those who curse you will be cursed and those who bless you will be blessed” Jacob believed, had faith in God’s promise to bless the descendants of Abraham back in Genesis 12.

Here’s the blessing to Esau;

Genesis 27:39-40 (HCSB)39 Then his father Isaac answered him: Look, your dwelling place will be away from the richness of the land, away from the dew of the sky above.40 You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. But when you rebel, you will break his yoke from your neck.

Jacob

Hebrews 11:21 (HCSB) By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and he worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

As we know Jacob is quite an interesting person and his story includes deception and intrigue. He is a hero of the writer of Hebrews although he was not always such a great person.

Even though his twin brother Esau gave up his right as the first born, Isaac may not have gone along with it, Jacob and his mother devised a plan to deceive Isaac and get him to actually bestow the blessing reserved for the first born male on him rather than Esau. Because of that he had to run to his uncle to keep his brother from perhaps killing him. While there he met his match in the deception game. His uncle Laban. Laban got his 2 daughters married off and got years of work out of Jacob before he finally left in the dead of night with a wife, who be the way stole her father's household idols.


Back to the writer of Hebrews' point about Jacob.

Jacob had been made a promise by God and he believed and trusted Him to keep His word. So when it came time to bless Joseph’s children , who he claimed as his own, he blessed them in faith. Here's why;

Jacob's Dream (painting circa 1691 by Michael Willmann)

Genesis 28:10-15 (NKJV) 10 Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." (Emphasis mine)


Here's the incident that the writer was referencing;

Genesis 48:13-14, 17-19 (HCSB)13 Then Joseph took them both—with his right hand Ephraim toward Israel’s left, and with his left hand Manasseh toward Israel’s right—and brought them to Israel.14 But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger, and crossing his hands, put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn.17 When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he thought it was a mistake and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s.18 Joseph said to his father, “Not that way, my father! This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know! He too will become a tribe, and he too will be great; nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his offspring will become a populous nation.”

Jacob, Ephraim, and Manasseh (17th-century painting by Guercino)

Jacob, in his earlier years, often found it difficult to trust God, but with Joseph in Egypt, he saw the true relationship of Joseph's sons Manasseh and Ephraim in God's purposes much as his father Issac saw with him and Esau. By faith, he transferred the birthright from Manasseh, the firstborn, to Ephraim, the younger.

Joseph

Hebrews 11:22 (HCSB)  By faith Joseph, as he was nearing the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions concerning his bones.

We know the story of Joseph who as a young boy had dreams that his older siblings and parents would someday honor him. I’m sure that he also heard from his father Jacob, the promise that God had made to his great grandfather Abraham, his grandfather Isaac, and his father that their descendants would by inherit the land where they living and that their descendants would be as numerous as the stars.

Joseph's life was filled with dramatic examples of the power of faith (read Genesis 37 and 39-43)

He was taken to Egypt and sold as a slave, was thrown into prison but God blessed him to become second only to Pharaoh. He believed God’s promise about Canaan and he made his brothers, who were in Egypt, at the time, promise to take his body to Canaan when God took them there and gave them the land.

Genesis 50:24-26 (HCSB)24 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will certainly come to your aid and bring you up from this land to the land He promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”25 So Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath: “When God comes to your aid, you are to carry my bones up from here.”26 Joseph died at the age of 110. They embalmed him and placed him in a coffin in Egypt.

Over 400 years later;

Exodus 13:19 (HCSB) Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, because Joseph had made the Israelites swear a solemn oath, saying, “God will certainly come to your aid; then you must take my bones with you from this place.”

Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph were not dreamers with vivid imaginations. They believe trusted God , and the lived their lives accordingly. Isaac in blessing conferring the blessing of the firstborn on Jacob rather than Esau and Jacob doing the same thing with Joseph’s sons, and finally Joseph in making his brothers promise to take his bones with them to Canaan.

Moses’s Parents

Hebrews 11:23 (HCSB) By faith, after Moses was born, he was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they didn't fear the king’s edict.

Exodus 2:1-2 (HCSB)1 Now a man from the family of Levi married a Levite woman.2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son; when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months.


This from the Ray Stedman commentary that I'm using for this study;

Two reasons are given for the faith of Moses' parents, shown in the hiding of their infant son among the reeds of the Nile. They saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. The adjective asteion translated here as "no ordinary" child, implies not merely a handsome or beautiful child, but a gifted and unusually promising one. Josephus, in his Antiquities, suggests that Moses' parents received a revelation from God concerning their son's destiny. This would explain why their action was by faith and strong enough that they were unafraid of the king's cruel command to kill all male Israelite babies. Since Jochebed, Moses' mother, was employed by Pharaoh's daughter to become Moses' nurse and help raise him to adulthood, the writer includes Moses' parents (Amram and Jochebed) as the molders of the faith of Moses himself.

So powerful was their influence on Moses that when he was forty years of age having been trained in the culture of Egypt and even regarded as an heir to the throne itself, he renounced his earthly privileges. He went on to identify himself with the people of Israel and resolutely refused the royal title son of Pharaoh's daughter (vv. 24-25). Stephen, in Acts 7:20-38, tells us that Moses "thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not."
I think it is a very good point, and one for us to remember. Those of us who are parents or role models for young children can be major influences on the development of a child's view of God and eventually their faith.

Moses

Hebrews 11:24-26 (HCSB)24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter 25 and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the short-lived pleasure of sin.26 For he considered the reproach because of the Messiah to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since his attention was on the reward..28 By faith he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch the Israelites.

Moses Identified with His Brothers

Exodus 2:11-15 (NKJV)11 Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren.12 So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, "Why are you striking your companion?"14 Then he said, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" So Moses feared and said, "Surely this thing is known!"15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.

Moses' actions suggest that he believed that he was called by God to deliver his people and having heard the promises of God, from his parents, that they would return to Canaan.   Motivated by faith he renounced his position in Egyptian royalty and identified with the slaves. By his actions in faith he gave up the treasures of Egypt to suffer disgrace not knowing the outcome but he believed God.

We have to make that choice sometimes too to be faithful and obedient to God rather than compromise for the prospect of advancement or wealth.   We will be talking about others later in the chapter who gave up much more by acting in faith, believing that God would deliver on His promises.

He Left Egypt

Hebrews 11:27 (HCSB)  By faith he left Egypt behind, not being afraid of the king’s anger, for Moses persevered as one who sees Him who is invisible.

Acts 7:25-28 (HCSB)25 He assumed his brothers would understand that God would give them deliverance through him, but they did not understand.26 The next day he showed up while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them peacefully, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?’27 “But the one who was mistreating his neighbor pushed him away, saying: Who appointed you a ruler and a judge over us?28 Do you want to kill me, the same way you killed the Egyptian yesterday?

Moses fled to save his life but he knew that God would keep his promise to deliver Israel so he waited in Midian for 40 years until he had an encounter with God;

Exodus 3:2 (HCSB) Then the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed.

After the discussion with God about his ability to get Pharaoh to let his people go Moses acted in faith when he did go back and confronted Pharaoh.  He acted in faith when he announced the plagues and when and how they would end. Exodus 5-10

Passover

Hebrews 11:28 (HCSB) 28 By faith he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch the Israelites.

We know the story it’s in Exodus chapter 12

It was a crucial experience both for Israel and the church, as both look back to it as the pattern of redemption. The key was the sprinkling of the blood of a lamb over the doorpost of each Israelite household. The angel of death would not enter where he saw the sprinkled blood. Moses believed that this protection would work, and it did. This act of faith broke the back of Pharaoh and he begged  the Israelites to leave, even showering them with jewels and treasures to speed the process. 

The People

The people also believed and acted in faith by following the instructions. 

Why did the people believe?

They had seen the plagues that Moses announced and then stopped. They even experienced some of them but they were also shown that they were God's people because he spared them from the effects of the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, plagues, with the tenth being the death of the first born son, for which provision was made with the Passover instructions. That's why they believed - evidence.

Crossing the Red Sea

Hebrews 11:29-30 (HCSB) By faith they crossed the Red Sea as though they were on dry land. When the Egyptians attempted to do this, they were drowned.

Exodus 14:21-22 (HCSB) 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The LORD drove the sea ⌊back⌋ with a powerful east wind all that night and turned the sea into dry land. So the waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with the waters ⌊like⌋ a wall to them on their right and their left. .

Israel's faith was shown when they passed between the walls of water. Faith caused them and will cause us to obey despite apparent obstacles and difficulties. With God all things are possible, absolutely nothing is impossible.

We face circumstances where it looks as if there is no way out. But God's promise is to see us through.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (HCSB) 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.

Jericho

Hebrews 11:30 (HCSB) By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after being encircled ⌊by the Israelites⌋ for seven days. There had actually be a severe lack of faith by the people after the remarkable Red Sea Act of faith. 

Anybody know what it was?

They refused to go in a conquer the land of Canaan. The land that God was giving them. Moses,sent in 12 scouts and they came back with this report ;

Numbers 13:32-33 (HCSB)32 So they gave a negative report to the Israelites about the land they had scouted: “The land we passed through to explore is one that devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of great size.33 We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak ⌊come⌋ from the Nephilim! To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them.”

Because of it not one Israelite who was twenty years or older when they left Egypt would enter Canaan, except Joshua and Caleb.

Now here they were forty years later. They were ready to enter the land that God had promised to them but they had to deal with the walled city of Jericho first.

Just as the faith of Moses had inspired faith in Israel while they were in Egypt and at the Red Sea, the faith of Joshua stirred them to act in faith at Jericho.

Following the strange orders given him by the angelic Commander of the Army of the Lord, Joshua set the people marching around the fortress, once a day for six days, and seven times the seventh day.

Joshua 5:13-14 (HCSB) 13 When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in

The excavated walls of Jericho. From European Association of Biblical Archaeology blog

front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, “Are You for us or for our enemies?” 14 “Neither,” He replied. “I have now come as commander of the LORD’s army.” Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in worship and asked Him, “What does my Lord want to say to His servant?”

Joshua 6:2-5 (HCSB) 2 The LORD said to Joshua, “Look, I have handed Jericho, its king, and its fighting men over to you. 3 March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry seven ram’s-horn trumpets in front of the ark. But on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the trumpets. 5 When there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear its sound, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the city wall will collapse, and the people will advance, each man straight ahead.”

Joshua 6:15-16 (HCSB)15 Early on the seventh day, they started at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same way. That was the only day they marched around the city seven times.16 After the seventh time, the priests blew the trumpets, and Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city.

When they gave a great shout on the seventh day, the walls came down.

Next week we are going to finish with the heroes of Hebrews 11. After that we are going to spend a couple of sessions on other biblical characters that I believe are faith heroes and then we are going to end with some non-biblical and more contemporary faith heroes.


Have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving and be sure that in addition to telling the Lord thank you for all things make your life one of constant thanksgiving. I'll see you next week. 

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