Sermon
#76 Hebrews
Notes
Title: Ordinary Men
Trusting An
Omnipotent God
Text: Hebrews 11:32
Readings: Bobbie Estes – 1 Kings 18:1-40
Subject: The Faith of the Judges
Date: Tuesday Evening – February 12 & 24, 2002
Tape # W-85a & W-88a
Introduction:
I want us to turn one more time to Hebrews 11:32. I
have titled this message Ordinary
Men Trusting An Omnipotent God, with good reason. It is commonly
thought that Paul’s purpose in writing Hebrews 11 is to extol the greatness of
those men and women whose names are mentioned in these verses, or at least to
extol the greatness of their faith. Neither is true.
Paul’s purpose here is to extol the greatness of
their God, the give and sustainer of faith. In this chapter the Holy Spirit is
encouraging believers, in the midst of great trials, facing great dangers,
enduring great opposition, to continue trusting Christ.
Before we read our text, let me remind you of some
things clearly revealed in the Book of Gods about faith.
1. The singular Object of all true faith is
the triune God, revealed and known in the Lord Jesus Christ, our Substitute.
·
Faith in his Person
·
Faith in his Sacrifice
2. True, saving faith is the gift and
operation of God (Eph. 2:8-9; Col. 2:12).
3. Faith is given by, arises from, and acts in
obedience to the revelation of God in the Scriptures.
Every act of faith described in this chapter, every
act of faith described in the entire Word of God, was in direct response to
God’s revelation.
(Romans 10:17) "So then faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
(1 Peter 1:23-25) "Being
born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God,
which liveth and abideth for ever. 24 For all flesh is as grass,
and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the
flower thereof falleth away: 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for
ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."
4. Though faith is the gift
of God, the operation of his grace in us, though we cannot and will not believe
apart from the gift and operation of God’s grace, faith is not a passive,
but an active thing. – Faith acts in response to God’s revelation.
5. The power,
strength, and efficacy of faith is not in us, or the strength of our faith, but
in our omnipotent God, the Object of our faith.
With those things in mind,
let’s read again Hebrews 11:32-40.
(Hebrews 11:32-40) "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.
35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were
tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better
resurrection: 36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and
scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were
stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they
wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted,
tormented; 38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in
deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not
the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they
without us should not be made perfect."
Our text tonight will be
verse 32.
(Hebrews 11:32-40) "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.”
Proposition: These were ordinary men,
sinners saved by the grace of God, washed in the blood of Christ, robed in his
righteousness, born of his Spirit, just like us. – Saved sinners, but sinners
still! – Ordinary men, just like us, who trusted an omnipotent God!
Spiritual Darkness
Each of the men mentioned in our text is lived in a
day of great spiritual declension. The time in which they lived is described in
detail in the book of Judges. Following the deaths of Moses and Joshua, Israel grievously departed from
the Lord: cast off his law, worshipped the idols of the heathen, and "every
man did that which was right in his own eyes"(Jud. 21:25).
Darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the
people. Yet even in those days God did not leave himself without a
witness. It is a particularly blessed thing to see grace shining in the
midst darkness and faith in the midst of unbelief. The Lord Jesus Christ always
keeps his own lamp burning
Incomplete
Hebrews 11 would have been incomplete as a description
of the life of faith, had no notice been given to those times when Israel so grievously departed from
God. It is in seasons of great spiritual darkness and gloom that faith shines
brightest and performs her mightiest works.
You see, faith is not dependent on favorable outward
conditions. Faith rises above circumstances. Faith is sustained
and energized by One who is infinitely superior to all circumstances.
That which is before us in our text and the verses
immediately following it, is written for our encouragement.
We, too, live in a day spiritual darkness and declension. There is in our
day, as in no other, an utter departure from the Word and worship of God by
those who profess to serve him.
Yet, the arm of the Lord is not short, that he cannot
save! Neither is his ear heavy, that he cannot hear! Let us, like Gideon,
Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, lean hard upon God’s
omnipotent arm. As we do, we shall be delivered from all our enemies, and
sustained and enabled to do his will in this age for the glory of his name.
Yes, we can do all that he would have us do, by his all-sufficient grace in
Christ.
(Philippians 4:12-13) "I
know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all
things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to
suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth
me."
(Verse 32). "And what shall I more say? for
the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of
Jephthath, of David also, and Samuel and of the prophets"
The apostle has already given abundant proof that
"faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen" (verse 1). He has shown that "by it the elders obtained
a good report" (verse 2). Yet he has by no means said all that could
be said on the subject. Numerous and notable examples of the power and fruits
of faith have been set before us. Many, many others might have been cited; but
it was not needful for him to describe each example of God given faith in Old
Testament history. Therefore, as he closes this great chapter, encouraging us
to go on believing God, he simply names these six prominent believers (and all
the prophets of God) who lived and died by faith in Christ, and gives us a
brief, general description of their great acts of faith.
Men Raised Up
These men, like the apostles of Christ, Luther,
Calvin, Gill, Toplady, Whitefield, Edwards, and Spurgeon, were ordinary men,
raised up by God in times of extraordinary crisis, for the good of his church
and kingdom and the preservation and furtherance of his gospel, for the glory
of his own great name.
This needs to be carefully borne in mind. Their
calling was extraordinary. Their deeds were extraordinary. But they were ordinary
men, men with the same faith God has given us, specifically raised up by God
for the day in which they lived, specifically raised up by God to do the work
they did for his glory.
As Mordecai said to Esther (Est. 4:14), so I say to you, “Who
knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Some time ago, a friend of mine who was a bit
disheartened by the things that had transpired in his life, began to find some
encouragement in God’s wise and good providence, and said to me, -- “Maybe
the Lord has something for me to do.” – As I read the stories of these men,
my heart dances with this thought, -- “Maybe the Lord has something for me
to do.”
I. Gideon
Gideon was raised up by God when Israel had been brought very low.
Three judges preceded him (Othniel, Ehud, and Barak), who delivered them from
the hand of their enemies. Yet, a fourth time they departed from their God and
were made to groan under the yoke of an oppressor. Let’s begin in Judges 2.
Note: Though the oppressors did not know it, and Israel seemed to be ignorant of
it, God used the oppressors (Ps. 76:10) to make his people cry out to him! – By
the oppression of the wicked, the Lord God separated the precious from the vile
and proved his people (Jud. 2:16-19). – In the darkest days
of apostasy, Gideons shine bright.
·
Persecution only strengthens faith. It never destroys it.
·
Persecution only destroys that which is false. – Everything that can be
shaken will be shaken.
(Judges 2:16-19)
"Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out
of the hand of those that spoiled them. 17 And yet they would not
hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed
themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers
walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so.
18 And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the
judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the
judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them
that oppressed them and vexed them. 19 And it came to pass, when the
judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more
than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto
them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way."
A. The Midianites held Israel in bondage (Jud. 6).
So great was the number of those who had invaded
their territory, that they "left no sustenance for Israel" and "Israel was greatly impoverished
because of the Midianites" (Jud. 6:4, 6). But that was by no means the worst of it.
Israel was so far and so completely turned away from
God to the worship of Baal, that to oppose it was considered a criminal act,
deserving of death (Jud. 6:28-30).
Nevertheless God had promised "the Lord
shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that
their power is gone" (Deut. 32:36), and now, once again, he would to
make good his word.
B. God found a man.
God found a man named Gideon, whom he had made to be
a "mighty man of valor" (Jud. 6:12). God has no trouble
finding the right man for the right job at the right time. He always has the
right man ready, readied by his grace.
As a mighty man of valor, Gideon was clearly a
picture of Christ, of whom it is written, “I have laid help upon One that is
mighty. I have exalted One chosen out of the people.”
C. Still, Gideon had to be prepared (Jud.
6:12-14).
"God must first do his work with Gideon, before
Gideon could do his work for God. To accomplish this, God makes the wine-press
of Joash to be to Gideon what He made the backside of the desert to be to
Moses" (E.W. Bullinger).
No man will ever be fit to serve God until he finds
all his strength in Christ. And no man will ever look to Christ for strength
until he knows his utter weakness. Thus it was with Gideon; thus it is still. –
Only a man purged of all self-sufficiency will look to Christ for all
sufficiency. – Only a man purged of all strength is made strong in the Lord and
“a vessel fit for the Master’s use.”
(Judges 6:12-14) "And the
angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with
thee, thou mighty man of valour. 13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh
my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and
where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not
the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and
delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. 14 And the LORD looked
upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save
Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?"
“That word from God was designed to bring Gideon to
the consciousness of his own utter inability to deliver Israel from the
yoke of the Midianites” (A.W. Pink). -- "For when I am weak, then am I
strong" (2 Cor. 12:10).
God never uses an unprepared instrument; and the first part of the
preparation process is to empty the chosen instrument of all self-sufficiency
that he may thoroughly trust Christ, looking to God alone for grace and
strength.
Gideon’s "might" was to be his
conscious weakness. As soon as that was realized he would be forced to believe the Lord’s
declaration "Thou shalt save Israel."
Now, look at Judges 6:15. Gideon now
asks, "Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is
poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house." Now the
servant is ready! The Lord has only one response unto acknowledged
helplessness: "Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the
Midianites as one man" (verse 16).
How blessed! When faith truly realizes this, it
exclaims, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me"
(Phil. 4:13).
D. Then, Gideon asked for a sign (Jud.
6:17-23).
Having found grace in the eyes of the Lord, he asked
for a sign, not because he doubted, but because he believed! -- Not to prove
the truth of God’s word, but because he would prove the truth of his grace, in
the acceptance of his offerings he would bring to God (vs. 17, 18). The proof
of this is in the fact that God did what he asked, accepted the sacrifice he
offered, and blessed him.
(Judges 6:17-23) "And he
said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then show me a sign that
thou talkest with me. 18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come
unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he
said, I will tarry until thou come again. 19 And Gideon went in, and
made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put
in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him
under the oak, and presented it. 20 And the angel of God said unto him,
Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock,
and pour out the broth. And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the LORD put
forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh
and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed
the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of
his sight. 22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of
the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of
the LORD face to face. 23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto
thee; fear not: thou shalt not die."
E. Going forth, empowered by divine approval,
commissioned by God’s own Word, Gideon tore down the altar of Baal his father
had built (Jud. 6:25-26).
(Judges 6:25-26) "And it
came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father's
young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the
altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by
it: 26 And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this
rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt
sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down."
Like his father Abraham, Gideon believed God and
obeyed his command. At this distant date, his action may seem to us trivial, but the
sequel shows that Gideon acted at the imminent peril of his life.
(Judges 6:30)
"Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that
he may die: because he hath cut down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut
down the grove that was by it."
(Judges 6:33)
"Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the
East were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of
Jezreel."
Enraged at the overthrow of the altar of Baal, the Midianites gathered
their forces together and with their allies came up against Israel for battle.
It is to be expected that Satan will wax furious when his territory is invaded
and the Lord is magnified in the place where he has reigned supreme.
That is why it so often appears that when we have
done what we must do for the cause of Christ we make bad matters worse, and
only increase trouble. But we must not be discouraged in the path of obedience
by trouble. Discouragements ought to always be encouragements.
Judges 6:34
Then, "the Spirit of the Lord came
upon Gideon" (Jud. 6:34). That supplies the key to all that follows.
safeguarding the glory of God (preventing us from ascribing the honor to
Gideon), and furnishing the vital word of instruction for our own hearts. We
cannot overcome Satan nor refuse his temptation in our own strength. We cannot
increase faith, or even maintain it in exercise, by any resolution of mind or
act of our own will. We cannot achieve victories to the praise of our God by
our own faithfulness. It is only as we are strengthened with might by the Holy
Spirit in the inner man, that we are furnished for the battle against the
forces of evil; and that strength is to be definitely, diligently, and
trustfully sought.
F. Gideon’s infirmity was that he imagined he
must head a large army if the Midianites were to be vanquished (Jud.
6:36-40).
It was only little by little that his heart was
instructed, and the lesson was learned that God is not dependent upon numbers.
His repeated spreading of the fleece, seeking signs to confirm God’s
Word (Jud. 6:36-40) shows us that we learn to walk by faith and not by sight
only gradually, by degrees. Yet the Lord our God is patient and long-suffering
toward his own. He bears with our infirmities and puts up with our weaknesses,
ever remembering that we are dust.
(Psalms 103:8-14) "The LORD
is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. (9) He
will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. (10) He
hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our
iniquities. (11) For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great
is his mercy toward them that fear him. (12) As far as the east is from
the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. (13) Like
as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that
fear him. (14) For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust."
The Lord graciously granted Gideon the signs
requested.
He corrected his notion that a large army was needed. He took only a small
fragment; and they were the ones who were sacred to death!—The Lord God
declared, "by the three hundred men that lapped will I save you"
(Jud. 7:7).
Then, when Gideon believed the Lord and
obeyed his Word. God said, "Arise get thee down unto the host,
for I have delivered it into thine hand" (Jud. 7:9). And he did! Thus
did the Lord use and work mightily by one who was poor and little in his own
eyes (Jud. 6:15) a man who "did as the Lord had said unto him"
(Jud. 6:27).
Who knows, maybe he will do the same with you. Maybe
he will do the same with me.
·
May God be pleased to show us his will.
·
Make us know our utter weakness and inability.
·
And make us find our strength in his all-sufficient grace!
II. Barak
(Jud. 4)
Barak was raised up by God after Jabin the king of
Canaan had "mightily oppressed the children of Israel" (Jud.
4:1-3) for 20 years. Israel had fallen into such a low condition that God gave
them a woman to rule over them. Deborah acted as judge in that day (Isa. 3:12).
(Isaiah 3:12) "As for my
people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my
people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of
thy paths."
Deborah was not a "judge" in the strict
sense of the word (Compare Judges 4:4 Judges 2:18). Deborah was a "prophetess"
(a worshipper of God),
one by whom God spoke his Word to his people, a mouthpiece of the Almighty.
It was through Deborah that God spoke to Barak, saying "Hath not
the Lord God of Israel commanded, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with
thee ten thousand men of the children of Napthali and of the children of
Zebulun? And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of
Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into
thine hand" (Jud. 4:6, 7).
That word from God was the ground of Barak’s faith, that was the sure
promise of divine revelation that described the thing to be "hoped for."
·
Barak’s infirmity is seen in Judges 4:8.
(Judges 4:8) "And Barak
said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go
with me, then I will not go."
·
The obedience of his faith appears in Judges 4:10.
(Judges 4:10) "And Barak
called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at
his feet: and Deborah went up with him."
In verse 14, God spoke again. "Up, for this is the
day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the Lord
gone out before thee!" (Jud. 4:14). He "heard." He
"believed." And he obeyed Thus, a great victory was secured.
It was by faith in God’s promise that Barak went forth against the
enormous army of Sisera and vanquished it.
III. Samson
(Jud. 13)
Samson’s many mighty deeds are recorded by divine
inspiration in the book of Judges. He was, in many ways, typical of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
A. His birth was foretold by
the Angel of the Lord (Jud. 13:7).
B. Samson went down to Timnath
and found a wife there among a cursed people, among the Philistines who were
his most implacable enemies.
(Judges 14:1-4) "And Samson
went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the
Philistines. 2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and
said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now
therefore get her for me to wife. 3 Then his father and his mother said
unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or
among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised
Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth
me well. 4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of
the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time
the Philistines had dominion over Israel."
1. His wife was taken from
among those who most deserved his just wrath.
2. She was taken from Timnath,
which means “portion – allotted, given, assigned portion.”
3. This Philistine woman “pleased
him well!”
4. She was taken to be his wife
by the will of God, because he sought an occasion against the Philistines.
C. He rent a lion to pieces, as
though it had been a kid (Jud. 14:5-6).—Christ conquered Satan.
D. One day he killed a thousand
Philistines, single-handedly, with the jawbone of an ass.—Christ slew all our
enemies, using the most despised of all instruments, the death of the cross
(Gal. 3:13).
E. He carried of the gates of
Gaza and their posts on his shoulders up a steep hill.—Christ carried the gates
of death away, as he broke the iron bars and ascended up into heaven!
F. He tore asunder the
strongest cords when bound by his enemies.—Christ foiled every temptation of the
devil, conquered death in his death, and broke the cords of death in his resurrection.
G. Samson overturned the
pillars on which stood the great temple of Dagon.—Our great Samson, the Lord
Jesus Christ, has overturned the kingdom of darkness!
H. Samson was divinely anointed for
his work. – Christ is the Anointed One.
How did Samson perform these
great and mighty deeds? By faith. In the book of Judges we read, "the
Spirit of the Lord came upon him." But that does not mean he was
forced involuntarily by divine power, like a tornado carries things through the
air blindly and unwittingly. Not at all!
God the Holy Spirit does not
use men passively, like we use wood, rocks, steel, and mortar. God uses people by making
them his willing servants, enlightening their minds, controlling their hearts,
inclining their wills, and supplying grace and strength to do what he has for
them to do.
"Faith cometh by hearing."
-- In Samson’s case he heard through his parents the promise which God had made
concerning him. -- "He shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of
the Philistines" (Jud. 13:5).
Samson’s Home Life
We see something of his mother’s faith
in Judges 13:23, where she quietened her husband’s fears, saying, -- "If
the Lord were pleased to kill us, He would not have received a burnt offering
and a meat offering at our hands, neither would He have showed us all these
things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these."
Samson was raised in a home where God was believed
and honored. His parents taught him the Word and worship of God in an age when few
knew him, believed him, and worshipped him. But their faith was not his faith.
Samson believed God himself. He believed the Word he
"heard" from God through his mom and dad. Samson grew up in the confidence of that faith and
conducted himself accordingly.
Samson’s LaST aCT
His last act was his greatest and best (Jud. 16:28-30).
(Judges 16:28-30) "And
Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee,
only this once, O God, that I may
be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. (29) And
Samson took hold of
the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne
up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. (30) And
Samson said, Let me die with the
Philistines. And he
bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords,
and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at
his death were more than they which he slew in his life."
·
What an example of faith!
·
What a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ!
IV. Jephthah (Jud. 11)
Gideon was a farmer. Barak was a soldier. Samson was
a religious Nazarite. David was the youngest of Jesse and was despised by his
brothers. Samuel was the first used by God while he was still a child. -- Our
great God delights to use weak, insignificant, despised instruments to
accomplish his greatest works in this world (1 Cor. 1:26-29).
This fact is never more demonstrably illustrated
than in the case of Jephthah. Jephthah was born in shame, the bastard son of a
harlot (Jud.. 11:1, 2).
·
As such, he bore all his life the pain and shame of his mother’s base,
bestial immorality. – Us Too! – “Without God!”
·
He was, by law excluded from the congregation of the Israel (Deut.
23:2). – Us Too!
·
But Jephthah was beloved of God, chosen in Christ, and ordained as an
instrument by whose hand he would save his people. – Us Too!
The Lord God poured out his Spirit upon Jephthah and
exalted him to the highest dignity and usefulness among his people. Jephthah
was one of God’s. As such, he was prospered in all that he did. No
outward condition, be it ever so base, can hinder God’s purpose, or thwart his
grace.
A. Jephthah feared God (Jud. 11:9-10) and
believed his Word (Jud. 11:14-27).
(Judges 11:9-10) "And
Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight
against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be
your head? (10) And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be
witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words."
B. Jephthah’s faith was evident
in ascribing Israel’s conquests to the Lord (verses 21, 23).
C. He called on the God of all
truth to judge between Israel and Ammon (verse 27).
(Judges 11:14-27) "And
Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon: (15) And
said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor
the land of the children of Ammon: (16) But when Israel came up from
Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;
(17) Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I
pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto.
And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent:
and Israel abode in Kadesh. (18) Then they went along through the
wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by
the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but
came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.
(19) And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king
of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy
land into my place. (20) But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through
his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz,
and fought against Israel. (21) And the LORD God of Israel
delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they
smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants
of that country. (22) And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites,
from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan. (23) So
now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his
people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it? (24) Wilt not thou
possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the
LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess. (25) And
now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of
Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,
(26) While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her
towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three
hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?
(27) Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to
war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children
of Israel and the children of Ammon."
D. The Lord God honored the
faith that honored him by delivering the Ammonites into his hand.
E. Jephthah’s fidelity and
perseverance in the faith is seen in the keeping of his vow by banning his
daughter to continual virginity. – “I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back” (Jud.
11:35).
·
Baptism (Rom. 6:4-6)
·
Church Membership
·
Marriage
V. David (1 Sam. 17)
It was not Paul’s purpose here to direct our
attention to all the wonders of David’s remarkable life. David alone is that man
who is described by the Lord God as a man after his own heart (1 Sam 13:14;
Acts 13:22).
(1 Samuel 13:14) "But now
thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his
own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over
his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded
thee."
(Acts 13:22) "And when he
had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he
gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a
man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will."
There is no need, here, for me to mention David’s
great sin. That
matter is recorded plainly in the Scriptures and is well known by almost all
men the world over.
·
Even the man after God’s own heart, while he lived in this world, was a
sinner.
·
He was, like all God’s elect, a man blessed of God, to whom the Lord
would not impute sin, redeemed and forgiven by the blood of Christ (Rom. 4:8).
·
Like you and me, David’s only righteousness was the righteousness of
God imputed to him.
·
As with us, the Lord God wisely and graciously overruled David’s sin
for his good, the glory of his own great name, the accomplishment of his
purpose, and the everlasting salvation of his elect.—Solomon, through whom
Christ came into the world, was the son of David and Bathsheba!
·
David’s experience of God’s grace in forgiving his sin made his sin
bitter to him and made his Savior precious (Ps. 32 and 51).
But it seems most likely to me that the Holy Spirit
has particular reference to David’s victory over Goliath (1 Sam. 17). When David was
just a teenage boy, totally inexperienced combat of any kind, he engaged
Goliath in the name of God. Armed with nothing but a sling and a few small
rocks, David went to war with the mighty giant of the Philistines, and cut off
Goliath’s head with his own sword!
How did David do this? How do we explain his
courage, his boldness, and his victory?
A. David had the revelation of
God’s own Word of promise (1 Sam. 17:46-47).
(1 Samuel 17:46-47) "This
day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take
thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the
Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the
earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. (47) And
all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and
spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into
our hands."
B. David believed God’s Word,
resting upon it with implicit confidence, and acted accordingly. By faith he
ventured; by faith he overcame.
C. David was, in this, and in
many other acts of his life, an eminent type of Christ.
·
Two Men Representing Two People
·
Goliath and the Philistines – Satan and Sin
·
Goliath’s Sword – The Cross of Christ—“Give me it, there is none
like it!” (1 Sam. 21:9-10)
VI. Samuel (1 Samuel 1:24-28)
I have been looking over Samuel’s life for the past
two weeks, trying to discover what remarkable act of faith or event in his life
the Holy Spirit alludes to in Hebrews 11:32. We have a brief summary of his
life in 1 Samuel 1:24-28.
(1 Samuel 1:24-28) "And
when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one
ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the
LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young. 25 And they slew a
bullock, and brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, Oh my lord, as
thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here,
praying unto the LORD. 27 For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath
given me my petition which I asked of him: 28 Therefore also I have lent
him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he
worshipped the LORD there."
A. Samuel was typical of Christ
in many ways.
·
He grew in wisdom and stature, finding favor with God and with men.
·
He was bold and courageous.
·
He was a man of prayer, ever interceding for a rebellious, sinful
people.
·
He was a prophet.
·
He was faithful all his life.
B. That last thing is, I am
sure what the Holy spirit intends for us to grasp.
Samuel was faithful from his youth, faithful to
God’s glory, faithful to his will, faithful to his Word, and faithful to his
people. Samuel is one of very few men mentioned in the Scriptures against whom
no evil, no weakness, no flaw of character is recorded. – That is the
remarkable thing! God took an ordinary man, used him all his life, used him in
the most ordinary way, and used him for the establishing of his kingdom! – O my
God, make me such a man!
VII. The
Prophets
Those men who were God’s prophets were ordinary men
like us, men who were saved by the grace of God. They were men who believed
God. And, believing God, they served him and his people well.
A. They preached nothing but
what God told them to preach. -- "Thus saith the Lord."
B. They concealed nothing they
received: though it was a "burden" to them (Mal. 1:1).
C. They were undaunted by
opposition. Setting their face as a flint, they delivered God’s message (Ezek.
3:8, 9).
·
Samuel to Eli
·
Nathan to David
·
Elijah on Carmel
·
Jeremiah to Israel
D. They defied the entire
religious world and the gods of men.
Along with the evangelist, pastor and teacher, the New Testament lists,
the ministry of the prophet. It is difficult to find anything said or written
about the prophet’s ministry. Like the prophet himself, his work is difficult
to define. We know the old definition, "A forth teller rather than a
foreteller." We apply the term generally to preachers as spokesmen for
God. Yet, there appears to be a distinct calling somewhat different from that
of evangelist, pastor, or teacher. There never have been many prophets; and certainly
there are few today. Never was the need greater and the supply smaller than
today.
The prophet is a voice in the wilderness. It is his business to
sound the trumpet, proclaim the ideal, not work on details or set up programs.
He doesn’t devise ways and means. He doesn’t fit on boards and committees.
The prophet is a solitary soul and does his best
work alone. He is no parrot, puppet or promoter. He is nothing but a prophet,
and if he tries to be anything else he is an embarrassment to himself and to
everybody else.
He is never popular with politicians either
in state or church. He is not cowed by dignitaries. He will call Herod a fox to his face
if occasion demands. He is an unreconstructed rebel, an odd number in a day of
regimentation. He has no more patience with mere religion than Isaiah had when
he thundered or Amos when he called on Israel to come to Bethel.
It is the prophet’s business to say what
others cannot, will not, or at least do not say. The politician has his eye
on the next election instead of the nation’s welfare. It is possible for a
preacher to get his mind on promotion, the next rung of the ladder, a high seat
in the synagogue, and being called a rabbi. The prophet has no axe to grind.
For him the grass is no greener in the next pasture. He does not does he seek
any man's office.
The church today looks for scholars,
specialists, socializers, and showmen. We need some prophets who, like Isaiah, have
seen God in His holiness, themselves in their sinfulness, and the land in its
uncleanness.
The prophet does not pack the house, nor produce
impressive statistics. He may get but poor response. Yet, whether they hear or
refuse to hear, those who hear him know that a prophet has been among them.
People do not crowd churches to hear prophets. People with itching ears look
for smooth talking, men-pleasers who will scratch their ears with what they
want to hear. They do not want a prophet.
The Prophet is never popular with the Pharisees. "Which of the
prophets have not your fathers persecuted?" "Ye are the
children of them that killed the prophets." So declared the Son of God
to the Pharisees of His day. Religious people have always stoned living
prophets and enshrined dead ones. The monuments of this generation are designed
to cover the crimes of our fathers.
Prophets are never popular at home. Our Lord told us
that plainly. Even his family accused him of being a mad man, saying, “he is
beside himself.”
The prophet’s path is not easy. John the Baptist's head is
not served up on a charger these days; but such a prophet is not less despised
today than John was in his.
Like John the Baptist the prophet is out to pull
down the high places, build up low places and make a way for the Lord. His
business is not intellectual explanation but pointed declaration! He does not
lecture about mustard, he makes a mustard poultice and lays it next to the
wound. Others comfort the afflicted, but he afflicts the comfortable.
Today the whole religious world is trying to
accomplish now by pep, publicity, propaganda, and promotion what once was done
by preaching. The woods are full of trained pulpit puppets. Oh, may God give us
some prophets!
Any young Elisha in line for Elijah's mantle
will need
the mind of a scholar, the heart of a child, and the hide of a rhinoceros. He
is sure to irk those who want to preserve the status quo. He is sure to be a
disturber of Israel. But no one else can take his place. We must have a
prophet—A man who will dare to scorn the hatred of Ahab, Jezebel, and the
prophets of Baal, a man who will dare to mock the mock gods of the Baal
worshipers of our day, seeking nothing but the glory of God, preaching nothing
but the gospel of God, serving nothing but the cause of God!