Lesson for September 29, 2024
The Triumphs of Faith
Lesson 5
Hebrews 11
Verse 30
“By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.”
Jericho was an Amorite city, and the Amorite people were corrupt, engaging in all types of debauchery and were the enemies of Israel. God used Joshua, a man of faith, to lead the army of Israel against them. For six days, they carried the Ark of the Covenant in obedience to God’s command and marched around Jericho one time per day. On the seventh day, the army marched around Jericho seven times. Then the priests blew the trumpets, and the people shouted, and the walls of Jericho fell. (Joshua 6:1-21) The army did not defeat the Amorites by scaling the walls and assaulting them, but by believing and following the instructions that God had given them (faith).
Verse 31
“By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.”
Rahab was a woman of Jericho at the time of the Jewish entrance into the promised land before it was captured by Joshua and his army. Josuha sent two men to spy out the land before them, especially the city of Jericho. When they arrived, they were recognized as Israelites, and it was reported to the king. The king’s troops were then sent to capture them, but Rahab hid them in her house. They were let down through a window and were able to avoid capture. We are told in Joshua 2:11 that Rahab recognized Jehovah as the true God. This statement by Rahab was a good indication that she had believed in Jehovah (Christ) as her Savior. (Joshua 2)
James 2:25, “In the same way, was Rahab the prostitute not justified by works also when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?”
Rahab demonstrated her faith by her works in protecting and helping the men of God to escape captivity.
Verse 32-34
“And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
Judges 6 and 7 are the story of a mighty man of God named Gideon. In the story, God called on Gideon to save the people of Israel from the Midianites. Judges 6:1, 4, “Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord handed them over to Midian for seven years. So, they (Midianites) would camp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel, nor a sheep, ox, or donkey.” This was divine discipline for the nation of Israel and eventually they realized the error of their ways and cried out for help to the Lord.
While Gideon was harvesting wheat and hiding from the Midianites, the Angel of the Lord spoke to him and addressed him as “a valiant warrior.” The angel told Gideon that God was sending him to save Israel from the Midianites. At first, Gideon doubted his ability to do so, being the youngest of a farming family. Seeking reassurance from God, Gideon requested proof of God’s promise to save Israel by using “fleeces.” He built an altar and placed meat and bread on it and the Angel of the Lord touched it with His staff and it was consumed with fire. Later he put wool on the ground saying if the wool was wet but the ground around it was dry, he knew the Lord was with Him.
Encouraged by the acts of God, Gideon and his men then travelled near the camp of the Midianites and prepared for battle. It was clear that God wanted the Israelites to know Who was delivering them, so he told Gideon to lessen his army from about thirty thousand to 300 men. Gideon commanded his men to surround the Midian camp, making it seem like the Midianites were greatly outnumbered. Then Gideon’s men blew their trumpets and broke pitchers and shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” When the Midianites heard the trumpets, heard the pitchers break, and saw the torches they carried surrounding their camp, they cried out and fled.
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Barak was another of those mighty warriors who answered the call of God despite overwhelming odds. Judges 4:1-3, “Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. So, the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. The sons of Israel cried out to the Lord; for he had nine hundred iron chariots, and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years.”
In the time of the Judges, Israel again abandoned God and were once again disciplined by God for 20 years. Deborah, a judge and prophetess of God, summoned Barak, telling him that God had chosen him to gather ten thousand men and go to do battle with the Canaanites and deliver Israel. Barak said he would go only if Deborah went. Deborah agreed, but told him the fame for the victory would not go to him, but to her.
Judges 4:14-16, “Then Deborah said to Barak, ‘Arise! For this is the day on which the Lord has handed Sisera over to you; behold, the Lord has gone out before you.’ So, Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot.’”
Barak led a force of 10,000 men, but Sisera, commander of King Jabin’s Canaanite army, had the advantage because he had 900 iron chariots. When Barak and his army began to fight the battle, God brought a rainstorm and turned the ground to mud and Sisera’s chariots became useless. Many of the Canaanites were later swept away in a fast-moving river. The Bible says Barak and his men pursued them until not one of Israel’s enemies was left alive. Barak and the army eventually destroyed Jabin, king of the Canaanites and there was peace in Israel for 40 years. This story is as much about the faith of Deborah, who never wavered, as is it is about Barak who wavered but recovered his faith.
Samson’s story began with the Philistines harassing the Israelites who lived in the southern part of Israel. The Philistines were a warlike people, some of which were tall and strong, like Goliath, who lived in the land that belonged to the tribe of Judah. They were allowed to dominate Israel as part of God’s punishment for their sins. (Judges 13:1) We know the story of how Delilah shaved Samson’s head, which was his source of strength. This caused him to lose his superhuman strength. This act resulted in the Philistines taking him prisoner, blinding him, binding him, and putting him in prison.
The last act of Samson was to call upon God to strengthen him, one last time, so that the Philistines could be punished for what they had done to Israel and to him. Standing with outstretched arms against the main supporting pillars of the Philistines’ pagan temple, he pushed with all his might and caused the entire building to collapse! Not only does he kill himself, but also at least 3,000 Philistines and their leaders (Judges 16:26 – 30).
Jephthah served as a judge over Israel for six years. Jephthah was born of a prostitute. Though a mighty warrior, he was driven away from the family as an adult because he was considered an illegitimate child. Later, the Ammonites came against Israel in war. The Israelites sent for Jephthah and offered to serve him, if he helped them defeat their enemy. Jephthah accepted their offer and sent a message to the Ammonite king in an attempt to avoid war.
The Ammonite king rejected Jephthah’s message. Jephthah made a vow to God, saying, “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering” (Judges 11:30–31). Jephthah then defeated the Ammonites and returned home to Mizpah. (Judges 11:32–34). When Jephthah arrived at home, his daughter was the first to come out of his house. Jephthah evidently expected an animal to exit. When he told his daughter of his vow, she accepted the consequences, only asking for two months to mourn beforehand. Her death was so well-known among the Israelites that it became a custom for the daughters of Israel to mourn the event each year for four days.
What lessons can be learned from Jephthah? First, we cannot choose where we came from, yet God can use us in great ways. Second, we should never put God to the test to prove Himself with “fleeces.” In Jephthah’s case, he lost his only child over such an action. Faith in God and His promises should never be contingent on Him proving His faithfulness.
David is one the most recognized heroes of faith in the Bible. There are numerous stories that testify of his strong faith in God. Let’s look at his faith as a youth. The story of the Philistine, Goliath, is one of the most notable. (I Samuel 17) David was a shepherd, the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse. King Saul and his men were battling the Philistines, one of which was Goliath, a nine-foot giant.
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Goliath had been challenging God’s people to come do battle with him and prove that God was more powerful than he was. Until David arrived, there was no one who was brave enough to face the giant. However, David’s faith in God and His power was so strong that he believed that God would enable him to defeat Goliath (1 Samuel 17:36-37). David’s faith came from his experiences when God had enabled him to kill a bear and a lion. David relied on God to deliver him from the Philistine. When David went out to face Goliath, he took a bag of stones and a slingshot. With one stone, David was able to kill the giant Goliath and send the Philistines into retreat. From the story of David and Goliath, we can learn that God can defeat any of the “giants” in our lives. By using the Faith-Rest Technique, we can handle any problem in life. Applying our faith to God’s promises will defeat any “enemy” we face.
Samuel was great prophet of God, who was asked by the Israelites to ask God to give them a king like their pagan neighbors. (1 Samuel 8:4-7) God granted their request for a king, which tuned out to be a disaster. The king was named Saul, and he turned his back on God many times and paid the price. Samuel was aware of the evil in Saul’s life and never hesitated to tell him to acknowledge it and turn to the Lord. When Samuel consulted God about the people’s request for a king, he was obedient to God’s instructions to give the people what they wanted, even though he was against it. I Samuel 8:4-6, “Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; and they said to him, ‘Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint us a king to judge us like all the nations.’ But the matter was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.’ And Samuel prayed to the Lord.”
Because Samuel’s faith in God was strong, he never failed to trust God and follow his commands to rebuke the wickedness of Saul and the nation of Israel. I Samuel 15:10-11, “Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, ‘I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.’ And Samuel was furious and cried out to the Lord all night.” Here is what Samuel said to King Saul in I Samuel 15:22, “But Samuel replied: ‘Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.’”
Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him.”